Mobile Suit Gundam G Generation: Dreams
by Nabeshin III
Summary: With the Titans, OZ, ZAFT, AEUG and Neo Zeon vying for power, we forget that it is the individuals who fight and win wars. This is their story in the universe of Colonial Year. Update: Timeline updated for 3 month gap in story. Search for UL001A to read.
1. Prologue

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recommend that before reading this that you have some knowledge about the following Mobile Suit Gundam series:

Mobile Suit Gundam

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

Mobile Suit Gundam Sentinel

Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack

Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam

New Mobile Report Gundam Wing

New Mobile Report Gundam Wing Duel Story: G-UNIT

New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz

After War Gundam X

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED ASTRAY

SD Gundam: G Generation F (mech only)

Some knowledge about their respective story and mechs would be helpful but it is not essential that you need any in depth knowledge about them. All mech information will be available on MAHQ. Search for it on google because the stupid program won't let me type in web addresses.

Note that Chapter 3 (fanfiction . net labelling) is a historical timeline that you may find interesting to read. Please note that it will be updated each time a new chapter is added to keep you informed of the larger war as well as what the characters see.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gundam franchise or any part of it for that matter. All mobile suits and mechanical units are property of Sunrise and it's subsidiaries. However, the names of most original characters are not owned by Sunrise and their personality and background are (mostly) my own creation and any similiarities between them and real life people purely coincidence. Please do not steal my ideas and please do not publish on another website without my prior permission.

Thanks and enjoy!

**Prologue: Valentine**

Date: February 14th Colonial Year 089

"Hello there!" A woman with greying hair, who was tending to her flower garden, called out to several children on their way back home after a day of school and play. She felt content with her life even though her family rarely visits her and her husband but she knew that she was in their thoughts. Wearing a white and green apron, she carefully pruned the roses that grew magnificently out of the soil. There was an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity within that garden, vibrant with a magnitude of different colours and scents. Her husband was in the house trying to install a new shelf in the dining room.

She was amazed at how quickly her garden has grown in the new soil. She had just moved to the Jenius 7 colony only three months ago when her daughter's husband bought them the house on this ZAFT colony to move them away from the war. She was astounded about how much the colony felt like living on Earth.

She had visited Earth once in her lifetime, but the experience was permanently imprinted on her mind. The sun would shine directly onto your skin while you sit on the soft sands of the Mediterranean Sea while listening to the beautiful music of the oceans. None of the landscape was man-made and it felt like home.

Being on Jenius 7 seemed strange for her at first, unaccustomed to the beautiful architecture and the efficiency of the people on the colony. She supposed that it couldn't really be helped since almost every inhabitant here was a Coordinator. They were the so-called designer babies whose genes were altered and manipulated to suit their parent's wishes. Even though she was not a Coordinator, her daughter, her daughter's husband and their son was; and because of that she was able to move away from the war-zone to Jenius 7. But with the Titans, Oz and the Earth United Federation (EUF) controlling civilian movement between colonies, living anywhere apart from the ZAFT governed colonies would seem like living in a prison.

Wiping a trickle of sweat from her forehead, she glanced up at the sky, if you can call it a sky. Although it was blue with an occasional cloud drifting across, it was artificial. When it was colonial daytime a blue mask would appear over the colony's inner wall providing the feel of Earth's days, but at night the blue mask would disappear and the colony's inner wall would reveal outer space with the side of the rotating colony that is facing towards the sun shielded to preserve the darkness.

She peered at her wristwatch and realised it was only ten seconds until colony-night time. The blue sky suddenly dimmed to deep indigo and then black with the shining stars and the moon providing the only light for a brief second until the street lights switched on and provided illumination for the roads.

The old lady looked up out of the colony, her eyes fixated with the stars for they made her think of her grandson, Ryan, who had just joined the ZAFT military to fight for what he believed in. Though she personally disliked the idea of a seventeen year-old going out to fight in a war that he probably doesn't understand but she trusted him to make the right decisions for himself and wished him the best of luck. She wondered where he was now. Probably in one of ZAFT's mobile suits fighting against a holographic Titan mobile suit in a simulator somewhere in the military academy.

Streaks of yellow and green lights with small red orbs forming after them began to fill the space outside the Jenius 7 colony. They looked like a distant fireworks display for the lady. A blue dot darted in and out of the streaks of light and seemed to get bigger and bigger. It soon split into two blue dots, one large and one small. The larger one veered off to the other side of the colony while the smaller dot arced across the colony sky while growing larger and larger.

The lady watched the entire scene in with keen interest, wondering what was happening outside the colony.

_Maybe it's a meteor shower_ She thought.

She kept her eye on the ever enlarging dot that was approaching the colony. There was a blinding white flash and followed by a deafening boom. Suddenly a strong gust of wind whipped through the entire colony which swept her off her feet and into the air.

The date is April 2nd Colonial Year 089


	2. GGeneration Dreams: Glossary

**Glossary of Terms **

Hey there. In the world of Gundam there are many different jargon and technical aspects that would be new to first time readers who might have not seen Gundam or are a little rusty on their Gundam trivia. This chapter, no, this glossary is designed to help those who are in need of clarification or just want to know about certain things I have included in GGeneration Dreams. The glossary is listed in alphabetical order for your convenience (which means more work for me).

Please note that the places, factions, mechs and technology listed here might not match up with the original Gundam series that they are from because I like to make things up ;;

The glossary will be constantly updated as the story progresses. The glossary is currently at CHAPTER 8. In other words there are certain entries that for later chapters so if you do not wish to be spoiled then only read the entries that you need.

**A**

_Aegis Gundam (GAT-X303)_ – The lead mobile suit of the five GAT Gundams. Painted pinkish-red to honour the UN's Red Comet (pilot of the Zaku). The only GAT Gundam that can change into a much faster Mobile Armour mode made this suit deadlier than all the others. With a Scylla Cannon (an advanced miniature mega particle cannon) in the centre of its claw like mobile armour mode gives it long-range firepower while in its mobile suit mode a normal beam rife and multiple beam sabres (either mounted on its body or separate) makes it an all round fighter. Piloted by Ryan Steigen.

_Alexandria-Class _– The main warship used by the Titan space forces and designed for carrying mobile suits (up to 12). Armed with main guns all around its hull this ship not only is a carrier but also a small fortress and not many other battleships can go one-on-one with an Alexandria-Class ship.

_Anti-Earth United Government (AEUG)_ – A group of colonists who were sick with the constant wars waged between the Earth and colonists decided to create the AEUG in order to oppose, including ZAFT, all sides of the war so peace can be achieved much faster. With backing from major companies such as Nord Industries, they have received prototype mobile suits for field-testing during their guerrilla style attacks on Earth's forces. They also have an Earthbound sister organisation, the Karaba, who has similar goals and visions as the AEUG. Their only problem is having the technology while not the personnel to operate them.

_Argama-Class _– One of the newer adaptations of the original Pegasus-Class ship from the Zeon War. The Argama-Class can carry a greater complement of mobile suits and small mobile armours than its predecessors while sporting a greater range of weaponry, ranging from four main guns to a hyper mega particle gun.

_Aries (OZ-07AMS) _– The first Oz mobile suit that was designed solely for aerial combat. One of the first transformable mobile suits, though it is only foldable legs, it was still a pioneer in variable geometry in mobile suits. Armed with missile pods and machineguns the Aires is deemed rather out of date without beam technology and is currently being slowly replaced by the more advanced Taurus units. However the number of Aires units being used is vast so the Aires will continue to function as Oz's main flight unit.

_Ashtaron, Gundam (NRX-0015)_ – Using plans for the GAT Gundams, the Titans secretly built two additional units without the aid of Nord Industries. The Ashtaron was built around the idea of transformable mobile suits and mobile armours. Its main armament is a pair of Atomic Scissors Claws that also contain an inbuilt beam cannon to provide long-range firepower. Though bulky, the Ashtaron has thrusters placed around its body and provide enough thrust to allow it flight capabilities and also carry the Gundam Virsago on its back in mobile armour mode. Stolen by Neo Zeon Special Forces Joseph Fin as the Titans finished the unit.

_Astray_ – Prototype units created by Orb and Nord Industry to progress Orb's current mobile suit technology. The three prototype units are identical apart from their colour scheme: Red, Blue and Gold. These units are manufactured with similar designs as the GAT Gundams in mind but without the Phase Shift armour and individual weapons designs.

_Axis_ – The name of the asteroid that the remaining Zeon military left on at the end of the Zeon War.

**B**

_Barge Mobile Fortress_ – Oz's space headquarters. The Barge Mobile Fortress, as its name suggests, is a mobile base that can either orbit the planet Earth, Moon or travel independently across the Earth-Moon system. Supporting a gigantic beam cannon at its front, it is a symbol of fear and hate to many colonists. The base is also used for research and development of new mobile suits.

_Beam Rifle _- In order to work around the mega particle cannon's energy demands, the Earth Federal Forces (with the help of Dr. Minovsky, who had left Zeon and joined the EF) develop the E-cap (a contraction of "energy capacitor"). This device stores Minovsky particles in a high-energy compressed state, so that only a small amount of additional energy is required to trigger their fusion into mega particles. The E-cap is charged by energy condensers at the mobile suit's home base or carrier ship, and then functions like a battery until its supply of particles is exhausted, at which point the weapon becomes useless. During the One Year War the Federal Forces perfected the E-cap and used it to create a miniaturized mega particle cannon called a beam rifle, with which their first prototype mobile suits are equipped.

_Beam Sabre _- The name "beam sabre" is somewhat of a misnomer; unlike other beam weapons, the beam sabre doesn't use mega particles. Instead, it emits high-energy Minovsky particles to form a blade-shaped I-field (via manipulation of electromagnetic fields), and then fills this I-field shell with superheated Minovsky particle plasma to produce a lethally effective cutting blade. The Minovsky particles are stored by E-cap in the beam sabre's hilt, which is recharged by the mobile suit's reactor when the sabre is returned to its socket. Thus, once activated, beam sabres don't rely on the mobile suit's reactor and can be thrown or discarded as decoys. The termination of the I-field along a solid contact surface (such as the skin of a mobile suit) allows the plasma to eat away at the offending material until the I-field re-establishes itself, allowing the weapon to "cut" through almost any target. Likewise, as the beam sabre's I-field enclosure repels plasma, it not only keeps the blade's contents in but also keeps other blades' contents out, allowing one beam sabre to block another.

_Blitz Gundam (GAT-X207) _– One of the five GAT Gundams created on Heliopolis. Built with melee and stealth combat in mind the Blitz Gundam's outer armour is coated with a variant of the Minovsky particle, Mirage Colloid, that can render the unit invisible to the enemy's sensors and also to the naked eye once active. Armed with a Trikeros Defensive/Offensive system that included several lancer darts and a high-energy beam rifle, mounted on its right arm, while a Gleipnir Anchor is attached to its left arm. Piloted by Vivian Oria, girlfriend to the Aegis Gundam's pilot, Ryan Steigen.

_Bloody Valentine Incident, The_ – After the creation of ZAFT and their steady military build up, a small Titan Fleet was dispatched to investigate and destroy all possible hostile ZAFT forces. Due to misinformation and heavy resistance from ZAFT forces, the colony of Jenius 7 was destroyed by nuclear weapons. The death toll of that attack was officially 249,802 but there were several thousand that were missing. This moment sparked the full on assault by ZAFT forces on Earth territory, fuelled by hate and the need for revenge.

_Buster Gundam (GAT-X103) _– One of the five GAT Gundams developed by the Titans and Nord Industries. This one built specifically for long and medium range combat it was armed to the teeth with missiles, a gun launcher and a high-energy beam rifle and nothing else. Its only problem is that it lacks any close-range combat ability, though the missiles would help, it relies heavily on sniping attacks and the other GAT Gundams to provide it with cover. Piloted by Akito Hidasaki.

**C**

_Colony_ – A self-sustaining artificial satellite that is around 2-5km long and able to sustain human life within it. The interior of the colony is similar to the conditions found on Earth, using a series of complex mirrors to reflect sunlight into the colony and using helium3 fuel to power almost every aspect of the colony. The colonies are placed in places where the gravitational pull of the Earth, Moon and the Sun is exactly equal or Lagrange Points, therefore the colonies never move positions thus making space travel and positioning much simpler. The first colony was created in 2077.

_Colonial Year_ – The calendar to which once the people of Earth began migrating to space used to replace the old AD system. Though the old AD system worked fine, the UN felt that a new calendar was needed to signal a new start for mankind.

_Coordinator _– Any baby who is fertilised through artificial means and have their DNA altered before birth can be called a Coordinator. It is commonly believed that all Coordinators are superhuman, with greater speed, strength, mental abilities etc. or a totally different species. That is not the case. A Coordinator's abilities may range from a high IQ or just the ability to have 20-20 vision for their entire life but they are human down to the last DNA strand. The first Coordinator baby was successfully born in CY 036 and the Earth's population rushed to have these babies. However as the first generation of Coordinators tried to have children, it was found that there was 100 chance of a miscarriage at birth. Therefore, the Coordinator population became reliant on genetic and artificial births to continue their families. During the recovery period after World War III, recessions and economic downturns made normal born people jealous of the greater abilities of Coordinators. Persecution turned to violence, which forced the Titan and Oz governments to relocate their Coordinator population to space while some countries were recovering faster than others kept and took in a small number. However persecution of Coordinators have continued, even on the colonies the Titan and Oz space forces control their every move. After 3 years, a movement of Coordinators calling themselves ZAFT rose up and overthrew the Titan and Oz military on the Coordinator colonies so that Coordinators may govern themselves.

_Crossbone Gundam (XM-X1, XM-X2)_ – The two mobile suits that was designed for Vandez Jenius and Nimbus Noa. These two Gundams are high performance mobile suits were developed with the help of the Zeonic Inc. engineers who left the Earth-Moon system with the defeated Zeon forces. Armed with standard vulcans and beam sabres, they are also armed with beam zanber (a cutlass style beam weapon) that can also double as a powerful beam rifle.

_Crossbone Vanguard _– A mercenary group that has existed since the late 1700's, who fought battles for the highest bidder, no matter who their clients are or their motives, just as long as they get paid. Lead by Thraw Nema (the sole descendant of the Nema family) on the Mother Vanguard.

**D**

_Deathscythe Gundam (XXXG-01D)_ – One of the Gundams built from the GAT Gundam plans and sent to Earth by the AEUG. Built with mainly close combat in mind, the Deathscythe Gundam also incorporates a Hyper Jammer system that renders it invisible to all electronic equipment, making it perfect for stealth missions much like the Blitz Gundam. Armed with a beam scythe and a buster shield that can be launched at enemies.

_Degwin Zabi_ – The leader of the Principality of Zeon. His family were loyal followers of Zeon Zum Deikun but after Zeon's death, they rose up and formed the Principality of Zeon, in honour of the dead philosopher however he secretly wished to rule over the Earth-Moon System. Their first act as leader was to declare war on the UN and thus starting the Zeon War. The war began in CY 079. He and his family were killed off one by one during the course of the war.

_Duel Gundam (GAT-X102)_ – One of the more basic mobile suits of the five GAT Gundams. The Duel Gundam was designed for close combat only, armed with two beam sabres, a high-energy rifle and pair of Igelstellung cannons the Duel Gundam was the simplest of the five. After its capture by ZAFT, the Duel Gundam is upgraded with an Assault Shroud armour that incorporates the Phase Shift armour with increased outer armour plating. This upgrade includes several missile launchers and a railgun mounted on its right shoulder. Piloted by Riou Hajima.

**E**

_Earth-Moon System_ – A name given to the areas that is between the Earth and the moon's orbit.

_Earth United Federation (EUF), The_ – After the end of World War III on Earth, the Titans, Oz and many non-aligned countries came together to form another United Nations. A step to remind them not to repeat the mistakes of their predecessors was to change its name to the Earth United Federation. Like the old United Nations the EUF has its own military force except this one was tiny in comparison. With funding and support from the EUF members, the EUF military set up peacekeeping bases around the Earth-Moon System in order to prevent another Zeon War or World War III. However as good as this sounds the EUF council rarely agree on anything as its council members often have their own agenda. Under the pressure of bureaucracy and bickering leaders the EUF is seen often as a puppet used by Earth to oppress the space colonies before the Zeon War. One thing that they can agree on is banning between non-essential transportation between colonies to prevent the spread of ZAFT and AEUG personnel and materials.

_Ele-Car_ – Standard issue colony used car. Owned by the Colony Maintenance Group on each colony there is a steady stream of cars available. If requested, a car will arrive either at a pickup point or at your home.

**F **

**G **

_G-Cannon Magna (F71-B) _– A prototype mobile suit from Nord Industries. A long range shelling mobile suit with a pair of advanced beam cannons mounted on its back. Can be armed with long to medium-ranged weapons the G-Cannon's firepower can be equal or surpass some battleships.

_Gaplant (ORX-005) _– The very first Titan mobile suit that was designed with speed in mind. This unit is aerodynamic and agile in both mobile suit mode and mobile armour mode. Originally designed for space combat only, the unit has also proved itself capable of atmospheric flight and combat. A pair of active thrusters is used in its mobile armour mode to provide it with flexible manoeuvring by allowing it to change direction of flight without the need to change the direction of its nose. Armed lightly with two beam rifles and two beam sabres to reduce mass to enable faster acceleration.

_Gelgoog Marine( MS-14F) _– A modified of the high performance Zeon unit during the Zeon War. Designed exclusively for Zeon marine and commando troops it was vastly improved over the original Gelgoog. Armed with wrist-mounted machineguns, beam sabre and a knuckle shield (for punching attacks) with an optional handheld machinegun, the Gelgoog Marine was designed with close range combat in order to counter the UN's Gundam.

_Geminass Gundam(OZX-GU01A, OZX-GU02A)_– Oz's answer to the five Gundams developed by the Titans. Only two units are known to exist and contain the PX System that reads the pilot's adrenalin and other hormone levels and to increase the system's own reaction.

_Gerbera Tetra (AGX-04)_ – A one off creation of ZAFT. Many of the engineers of ZAFT originally worked for the Zeonic Inc. during the Zeon War or worked for the Titan Military Research branch. During their time of testing new designs, the Gerbera Tetra was created as a prototype to the GINN and other ZAFT mobile suits. Armed with a long-range beam machine gun and a large booster gave the Gerbera Tetra a distinct advantage in long-range and medium range combat while a beam sabre and wrist mounted machine guns provided it with enough protection for any close quarter engagements. Because of its high production costs only one unit was produced and given to the ZAFT ace Major Dena Nadist, a shadowy figure who wears a mask at all times.

_GINN_ (_ZGMF-1017) _– The standard mobile suit that ZAFT assigns to most of its forces. Designed from the technical specifications of the original Zaku, ZAFT engineers have enhanced the performance of the suit in every aspect to bring out the full potential for its Coordinator pilot. The GINN's basic armament consists of a 76mm machine gun and a heavy sword, but it can also be equipped with a wide variety of weapons for specific battles. Because of its versatile design, there are many variations on the GINN's basic design, just like its Zaku predecessor.

_GM_ – Otherwise known as Gundam Mass-Produced. Created during the Zeon War to counter the Zaku threat. Based upon the Gundam, the GMs were weaker than the Gundam in all respects but still held their own against Zeon's Zaku.

_Grenada _– The EUF Space HQ on the Moon's surface. Loaned to the EUF by the Titans as a gesture of unity and goodwill, the base is mostly used by the EUF while several sections are used for Titan operations.

_Gunbarrel Striker (AQM/E-X04)_– A smaller version of the Moebius Zero and built with the same concept of Gunbarrels mounted on its back. This version was much smaller and thus much faster and agile than its bigger brother however its weapons only included a Gatling machinegun mounted under the main fuselage with four gunbarrels that contained railguns.

_Gundam _– The name given to the powerful mobile suit that the United Nations produced. The original unit was known for its speed, its revolutionary Lunar Titanium armour and its young Newtype pilot who fought against the Zeon ace pilot in his Zaku. The name and the image of the Gundam became so legendary that several future lines of mobile suits were crafted in its image and name. Because of the Zeon's quick adoption of the Zaku mobile suit, which the UN initially designed, the Gundam was created from the data from the new Zaku II on the battlefield. The Gundam was superior in firepower, armour and speed to the Zaku II and ultimately helped the UN to win the Zeon War.

_Gundams (GAT) _– The first mobile suits to be co-manufactured by the Titan military and Nord Industry. These mobile suits were crafted after the original Gundam but each with its own distinct abilities to suit the user's fighting styles. There are five in total and are armed with unique weaponry with Phase Shift Armour. Each unit, though contains an ultra compact nuclear generator, also has an additional battery unit to power the Phase Shift system. Because of difficulties in working both generators together if the battery unit was drained of power the nuclear generator would only be able to power the GAT Gundam for a very limited amount of time.

**H**

_Heavyarms Gundam (XXXG-001H)_– One of the Gundams that was built from the plans of the GAT Gundams and sent to Earth by the AEUG. This mobile suit is basically an walking fortress with missile launchers and missiles stored in every conceivable location on its body. A single gatling gun mounted on its left arm, the Heavyarms Gundam was able to mow down any mobile suit within its range while a Swiss Army Knife embedded within its other arm to compensate for the lack of close range weapons.

_Heliopolis _– One of the neutral colonies that is owned by Orb.

_Hyaku Shiki (MSN-00100)_ – One of the first units developed purely by the AEUG's own engineers. The Hyaku Shiki (which translates to Type-100) was the prototype to the Zeta-Project set up by the AEUG and Nord Industries to provide itself with a series of flexible mobile suits that could function both on land, sky and space. When the Hyaku Shiki was made, it was found that a transformation mechanism that was required by the AEUG for its mobile suits was too difficult to be incorporated so the model was abandoned. Only one unit is known to be in existence and is piloted by Aislin Blair.

I J 

_Jegan (RGM-89)_ – One of the evolutionary designs that came from the original GM developed by the United Nations during the Zeon War. The Jegan is designed to be a light and manoeuvrable mobile suit. With its modular design units that use the Jegan can adapt it for any purpose. Being the standard mobile suit that is issued to EUF pilots, there are many variations made to customise these units to suit its pilot.

**K**

_Karaba, The_ – The sister organisation to the AEUG who operate on Earth. Comprised of soldiers who have grudges against the Earth's governments, they operate with guerrilla tactics and are often seen as terrorists in the public eye. Under equipped and low on personnel, the Karaba enlists the help anyone they can. Recently, the Middle Eastern Alliance pledged a battalion of their troops to the Karaba (in absolute secrecy of course), named the Maganac Corps, because of the dissatisfaction of restrictions imposed on them by Oz and the Titans.

**L**

_Leo (OZ-06MS) _– Standard Oz issue mobile suit. Cheap and quick to manufacture it is a favourite amongst Oz pilots for its customisability. Though lacking in every department compared to many mobile suits, the mobile suit relies heavily upon the pilot's own ability which isn't that much of a problem because of the rigorous training that Oz gives to each pilot before handing them a mobile suit.

_Lohar Shoal Zone_ – A shoal zone so dense in debris that not one ship has been able to traverse it successfully. However it is rumoured that the AEUG's headquarters is stationed within it and by installing engines onto pieces of debris, they are able to conceal their base within it and only allow friendly ships to enter.

_Londo Bell Taskforce/Fleet_ – One of the five major fleets of the EUF. Each fleet is named after the admiral commanding it. The first of the five fleets to be created their reputation across the Earth-Moon system as the most efficient and loyal in the EUF Fleet. Though their battle with the Crossbone Vanguard dented that reputation but the fleet's crew is still able to perform their duties as expected of them.

**M**

_Maganac Corps _– A special ops team of the Middle Eastern Alliance. Their existence is denied by the Middle Eastern Alliance because of their deployment with the Karaba but the Maganac Corps still receive funding from them. They fight in order to rid the Middle Eastern Alliance countries of Oz and Titan troops.

_Maganac (WMS-03)_ – One of the new mobile suits developed by the Middle Eastern Alliance. These suits are basic but their design allows their pilots to customise their units without any limitations. With no fixed armaments, each unit is issued with a standard beam rifle and a shield so it is up to the pilot to decide upon their fighting style and modify their suits accordingly. A battalion of Maganac units and Middle Eastern Alliance soldiers was pledged to the Karaba.

_Mega Particles_ - Due to the repulsive forces between positive and negative Minovsky particles, large amounts of energy are required to compress an I-field lattice. If enough energy is applied, and the I-field is sufficiently compressed, the Minovsky particles ultimately fuse into massive, electrically neutral mega particles. The energy used to create the mega particles is expressed as both mass and velocity. No longer subject to the electrical forces that maintain the I-field lattice, the particles burst out of the electro-magnetic field used to compress them. The weapon will have a second I-field forming a barrel shape to prevent the mega particle from destroying the weapon itself. This stream of heavy, fast-moving particles, unlike a conventional charged-particle beam, cannot be deflected with magnetic fields. In CY 070, UN researchers exploit this phenomenon to create the fearsome mega particle cannon.

_Middle Eastern Alliance, The_ – The group of rich oil producing countries that is situated between Europe and Eastern Asia. Though the low consumption of oil on the planet has caused a decrease in their wealth, these countries have begun locating resource satellites from outside the Earth-Moon system and bring them into it for mining. These mining operations have again generated much revenue for these countries. In recent years, the Titans and Oz have pressured them to become a member of their state and without much money spent on their own military, the Middle Eastern Alliance began considering joining. However with the help from the Alliance of Orb Islands by exchanging mobile suit technology with a resource satellite the Middle Eastern Alliance rejected the offers from the Titans and Oz. These countries, like Orb, have remained neutral in the conflict between the Titans and Oz with ZAFT but in the interest of relations have allowed Oz forces to set up base in its borders. It is rumoured that the sister organisation of the AEUG, the Karaba, is based in the Middle Eastern Alliance.

_Minovsky Physics _– Created by Dr Y.T. Minovsky through years of research and experimentation to develop a clean and efficient nuclear engine to replace the human race's dependence on fossil fuels. Their result was the Minovsky-Ionesco Reactor that emits zero neutron radiation. By using an rare isotope Helium3 Dr Minovsky found that in addition to the stable reactor was strange electromagnetic radiation, soon named as Minovsky Particles, that can disrupt radio and radar signals by absorbing them and so began the use of Minovsky Particles in warfare. When scattered in an open space, these particles will form a cubic lattice structure, named I-Field, which slowly expands and dissipates with time. While this is happening all radar or homing weapons that rely on sensor data other than video or sight cameras are disabled. That is why nearly all ships in the CY era contain either Infra-Red Sensors or high definition camera sensors that identify objects by their shapes. There were several other uses for Minovsky technology, please see: Mega Particles, Minovsky Ultra Compact Nuclear Generator, and Beam Rifle and Beam Sabre.

_Minovsky Ultra Compact Nuclear Generator_ - In CY 071, UN researchers created the Minovsky ultracompact fusion reactor. Instead of the conventional magnetic field, this improved version of the Minovsky-Ionesco reactor used an I-field to confine and compress the reactor fuel, triggering a fusion reaction. The Minovsky particles produced as a by-product of the helium-3 fusion reaction are thus recycled to keep that reaction going. The Minovsky particles that form the I-field lattice also help catalyze the fusion reaction, in a process similar to the muon-catalyzed fusion investigated by real-world scientists during the 1950s. This super-efficient design is only a fifth as large as an equivalently powerful Minovsky-Ionesco reactor, for this reason it was adopted for use on mobile suits as the standard power plant.

_Mirage Colloid_ – A brand new technology developed by Nord Industries and the Titan military R&D department for the GAT project. Installed only on the Blitz Gundam, the Mirage Colloid technology was considered the pinnacle of stealth technology. Mirage Colloid science is an offshoot from Minovsky physics as it utilises Minovsky particles. Once the Mirage Colloid system is active, anything within the Mirage Colloid particle barrier will become invisible to all visual sensors, electronic detection system and the human eye. Even though whatever is inside the barrier might become invisible there are still fluctuations within the barrier, meaning that the Mirage Colloid can only be realistically be used against a black background making it slightly ineffective in all other terrains.

_Mobile Armour (MA)_ – In addition to development of mobile suits, the military continued its research into fighters that could operate both in the sky, sea and space. Their final product was the mobile armour. Much larger (though some can be smaller) than the mobile suits, mobile armours were not designed with agility in mind rather power, weapons and speed. Many of the mobile armour designs were scrapped before mass production and not many have actually seen action but one design, the Moebius and the Ball, have seen battle many times during the Zeon War as supplements to mobile suits. Often shaped like fighters or as some described as sea creatures these machines rely on their size, armour or power to destroy enemies. Also the name mobile armour is also given to the fighter form of any mobile suit that can transform.

_Mobile Suit (MS)_ – Giant 16m robots that are used for both military and civilian capacities. Initially designed and used for building the colonies and helping with construction of any large architecture but the UN military saw potential in them being turned into war machines. Therefore the very first mobile suit, the UN created the Prototype Zaku. However due to design flaws, the project was slowed and only about 70 were produced. Because of the limited functionality of the Prototype Zaku, it was mainly used as a policing tool on Earth and on the colonies. Before the start of the Zeon War, Zeonic Inc. redesigned the Zaku and produced the Zaku I and Zaku II, which were fully functional in battle. The start of the Zeon War saw little use of mobile suits but as both sides began using Minovsky Particles to block communications, radar and guided weapons the mobile suit's close range combat abilities was recognised and used by both sides.

_Mobile Suit Carrier_ – A small transport designed to carry mobile suits into battle so that the mobile suits can save fuel for the actual battle.

_Moebius Zero (TS-MA2mod.00) _– A mobile armour that was designed especially for Newtype user. Armed with only with a linear gun and four gunbarrels (attached by wires) doesn't sound like it could stand up to mobile suits but the unit's strength is in its pilot. The four gunbarrels are able to separate from the main unit's body and attack via multiple vectors. With its specially designed cockpit, it enables the Newtype that pilots it mentally control the Gunbarrels so that the enemy never actually gets close to the main fighter section.

_Mother Vanguard _– The mother ship of the Crossbone Vanguard. Built to symbolise the old wooden ships that traversed the Earth's oceans, the Mother Vanguard retains many of their qualities (such as masts and cannon ports).

**N**

_Natural_ – A name given to anyone who isn't a Coordinator. However most Coordinators within ZAFT use the name Terran or Terrans because of their enemy's Earth bound nature.

_Nazca-Class_ – The main warship of the ZAFT space forces. Its standard colour is turquoise and armed with several railguns, beam cannons and can carry up to 6 mobile suits at a time. The _Versailles_ Nazca-Class ship that was sent to capture the Gundams had an increased capacity, allowing it to carry 9 mobile suits by sacrificing weapons power.

_Newtype _– A person, who Zeon Zum Deikun, described as having great understanding of all physical and non-physical aspects of the universe. Zeon Zum Deikun said that these Newtypes were the next step in human evolution due to adapting to a new environment, space. Though no conclusive evidence have been found about the Newtypes that Zeon portrayed but there are a small number of the human race have developed greater mental abilities such as higher response rates and telepathic abilities. These people, though still not the Newtypes that Zeon spoke about, were labelled as Newtypes.

_New York Treaty, The_ – This treaty between Oz and the Titan governments ensured that each government and military would not interfere with each other's affairs within their respective borders. However after the start of the war with ZAFT, infringements on this treaty have become frequent during skirmishes.

_Normal Suit _– A name given to spacesuits after the introduction of mobile suits. Basically done to avoid confusion between the two.

_Nord Industries_ – A multinational company in manufacture of electrical goods to military hardware. Its HQ is based in Orb while its factories and research centres are based around the Earth-Moon system, such as the one on Heliopolis. It has links to many organisations with known ones like the AEUG and Karaba by supplying them with prototype units for field-testing and helping the Titans create the Gundams with Phase Shift Armour. It is rumoured that Nord Industries is involved with the Romefeller Foundation.

**O**

_Oldtype _– Anyone who is not an Newtype.

_Orb (The Alliance of Orb Islands)_ – One of the smaller but influential countries that was created after the end of World War III. This country was formerly known as the Hawaiian Islands but many peace activists and high-tech manufacturers relocated there because of the Orb islands of non-aggression. With help from these high-tech companies Orb has managed to create its own army of advanced mobile suits and navy with a very well trained, voluntary, military force. One of the world's largest electronics manufacturer, Nord Industries, is based on Orb.

_Oz (Organisation Zodiac) _– Another organisation that was created at the end of World War III. This group was similar to today's European Union and Eastern Asia but the government system is based upon the old aristocracy and puts high emphasis on honour and class. The government of Oz is in the form of the today's UK government, the parliament. There are two tiers, the Commons and the Lords. The Commons is made up of civilian representatives from around Europe and part of Russia while the Lords is the high ranking military, people with connections to the secretive Romefeller Foundation and other multinational companies with links to royalty. Though the Lords parliament rarely intervenes with decisions of the Commons parliament it is still a well-known fact that the Oz military controls much of their functions.

_Oz military, The _– Though a third of the size of the Titan military, Oz troops are best known for their high skills in all forms of combat and spending on intelligence. Their mobile suits, though lack variation, are designed for all round combat, such as the Leo. The Oz troops are renown for their beliefs in honour and bravery. Oz troops have been known to self detonate their suits on the enemy to ensure victory. Under the sole command of Riken Holm, the Oz soldiers would gladly lay down their lives for him.

_Oz Prize Miltary, The_ – A separate organisation to the Oz military, Oz Prize is commanded by four Oz Prize Generals who work under the Romefeller Foundation, or the most of the Lords Parliament of Oz. The Oz Prize military are said to be fanatically loyal to the Romefeller Foundation, not to Riken Holm. They also have greater funding, often from the members of Romefeller Foundation.

**P**

_Pegasus II-Class _– Based upon the first Zeon battleship, Pegasus-Class White Base, the Pegasus Class was adopted by the EUF and improved upon. There are several lines created from the original, the Pegasus II-Class was the first. Armed with many anti-ground and anti-air guns with several main guns and two mega particle cannons.

_Phase Shift _– Equipped only on the Gundams developed by the Titans and Nord Industries on the Orb colony Heliopolis. The armour works by creating an electromagnetic field that polarises the entire outer armour of the Gundams. This electromagnetic field absorbs and deflects all physical attacks such as bullets but not beam technology such as beam sabres or beam rifle rounds. The downside of this technology is that it requires a massive amount of power, which a normal Minovsky nuclear generator cannot provide; therefore an onboard battery is installed on all 5 Gundam units thus limiting the operational time of the units (factors that limit the time includes use of thrusters, movement, use of weapons etc.). An interesting effect of the Phase Shift armour is its ability to change colour of the material it comes into contact with so that is why the five Gundams are grey when powered down and change colours when the electromagnetic field touches it.

_Principality of Zeon, The_ – Created by Degwin Zabi after the death of Zeon Zum Deikun to complete his ideals. This organisation was similar to an aristocracy with the Zabi family held as the monarchs.

_Project Exodus _– The initial mass migration of the Earth's population to the colonies.

**Q**

**R**

_Re-GZ (RGZ-91)_ – A high performance prototype mobile suit that pioneered the transforming mobile suit concept. Able to dock with a Back Weapon System that was basically outer armour enabled the mobile suit to be piloted and used like a mobile armour. The Re-GZ mobile suit had a standard complement of beam rifle, beam sabre and vulcans while it's Back Weapon System comprised of missile launchers, a large and two smaller beam cannons.

**S**

_Salamis-Class_ – The UN's main battleship during the Zeon War. Their design was taken from ocean going warships so that manufacturers could produce them quickly and easily. Not designed to carry mobile suits (due to design limitations) inside its hull, the battleship had to strap them onto its outer hull. Later designs during the Zeon War enabled them to carry mobile suits but these ships were few in number.

_Shoal Zone _– An area of space that is filled with debris, either space rock or destroyed man-made objects.

_Strike Gundam (GAT-X105)_ – The only mobile suit in the 5 GAT Gundams to have a modular design. Its colour scheme is based off the original Gundam to honour the White Meteor of the Zeon War. Being one of the most advanced of the 5, the Strike Gundam has four different packs that enables it to excel in close range (Sword Pack), long rang (Launcher Pack and Lightning Pack) and medium range (Aile Pack) combat. These packs are mounted on the back of the Strike Gundam through a laser-guided system to ensure perfect docking. Its pilot, Marcus Kolin, uses this suit to pursue the other four stolen Gundams.

**T**

_Tallgeese (OZ-00MS_ )– The very first mobile suit that the Oz military developed themselves. The mobile suit exceeded everyone's expectations however testing showed that the Tallgeese was far too powerful for the average to control. Therefore the Leo was developed as a toned down version of the Tallgeese. Soon after, the scientists who designed the Tallgeese disappeared. The Tallgeese is armed with a dober gun (an advanced bazooka) with two beam sabres. This might not seem like much but the Tallgeese's speed and manoeuvrability makes up for the lack of weapons. Major James Harris, the only pilot in the Oz military that can control the machine successfully, pilots the Tallgeese.

_Taurus (OZ-12SMS)_ – Oz's second-generation space mobile suit. Hoping to replace the slightly outdated Leo Space-types, the Taurus is superior to the Leo in every aspect. Able to transform into mobile armour mode, the Taurus is able to travel longer distances and faster than its Leo predecessor. Armed either a beam rifle or beam cannon the Taurus is designed specifically for long-range scouting and sniping missions. Usually painted black for camouflage and for psychological purposes.

_Titans, The_ – An organisation that was set up by civilians and politicians after the end of World War III. This group had influence and power that spanned through Africa, the Americas and parts of Oceania. This government abolished all borders between these countries and allowed free flow of people between regions, which in turn created economic and technological growth. Soon the Titans became the largest country ever to be seen on the face of the planet. The Titan government is based in Washington DC where each region has a seat within a senate and can express views and pass policies.

_Titan military, The_ – The official armed forces of the Titans. Because of the huge area that the Titan government controls, the number of men and women who serve is immense. Because of high budgets given to military research and development, the Titan's forces are envied as being the best-equipped force ever. However due to the emphasis on technology, the men and women who serve do not receive the highest quality training and there are often disagreements between different regional armies.

**U**

_United Nations (UN), The_ – The exact same organisation that exists today however this United Nations has far more military power than it has now. Since every country on the planet is a member, the UN Council became a world government, influencing economies, laws and politics of all its members.

**V**

_Vernier(s) _– The nozzle of a mobile's suits engine that pumps out waste gasses and steers the mobile suit.

_Virsago, Gundam (NRX-0013)_ – Using plans for the GAT Gundams, the Titans secretly built two additional units without the aid of Nord Industries. Though it lacks the Phase Shift armour on the GAT Gundams the Virsago includes a megasonic gun on its chest, which has an output of several beam cannons. It also has two strike claws for grappling attacks and claw beam cannons mounted on their palms. Stolen by the Neo Zeon's Special Forces Nicolas Fin as the Titans finished the unit.

_Vulcan _– Contrary to common belief this is not a pointy eared alien. A vulcan cannon is a high-powered machinegun mounted onto battleships. On Gundams, vulcan cannons are usually mounted on the mobile suit's head while on other mobile suits vulcan cannons can be found anywhere on its body. A variation of the vulcan cannon is the new Igelstellung cannons, which are built into the GAT Gundams for testing.

**W**

_Wing Gundam (XXXG-001W)_ – Built from the plans of the GAT Gundams and sent to Earth by the AEUG. This Gundam, like the Aegis Gundam, has the ability to transform into a mobile armour except the Wing Gundam transforms into a bird-like mobile armour. Armed with a large buster rifle (a portable and more powerful version of the mega particle cannon found on battleships), a shield and beam sabres make the Wing Gundam an all round combat machine. Its wing like thrusters mounted on its back enables it to control its flight and to help heat dissipation when entering the atmosphere.

_World War III_ – Occurred after the end of the Zeon War with the collapse of the United Nations. Although the colonies were not directly involved, resources were still pulled from them to fund and fuel each of the countries. The war mainly involved the American continent and the East Asian continent but other countries were dragged into it due to threats of nuclear and biological weapons. Eventually the people of Earth got sick and tired of war. They overthrew the old governments and set up their own. The war lasted 5 years and the death toll topped two hundred million.

**X **

**Y **

**Z**

_ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty)_ – The very first Coordinator nation and military. Formed to rid the Titans and Oz from oppressing Coordinators on colonies, the group was formed by rich Coordinators and a mass desertion of Coordinator soldiers and officers from mainly the Titan and Oz militaries. This government currently rules a cluster of colonies that only house Coordinators and very few non-coordinators who sympathise with them. Their troops are far more able in combat than any soldier in history because of their altered DNA and funding by wealthy Coordinators enabled them to create mobile suits to combat any threat. Ever since ZAFT's creation, several countries on the Earth have given their support to them and offered their bases as a beachhead for ZAFT forces (this is mainly because of dissatisfaction of the aid these countries are getting to rebuild by the EUF and felt that ZAFT would offer more help to them). From there, ZAFT forces have begun overwhelming Titan and Oz troops in Africa, Oceania and Eastern Asia.

_Zaku_ – The very first mobile suit to be created. Versatile and powerful, the design of the Zaku was quickly adopted by Zeon forces during the Zeon War because of its low production costs and easily modifiable design.

_Zeon War _– The name of the war between the Republic of Zeon and the United Nations to free the colonies from Earth's rule. Even though it lasted only a year, quarter of the human race became casualties, civilian and military. The war also saw the use of Newtypes in battle and how their expanded consciousnesses was able to use remote weapons on mobile suits. After the defeat of Zeon at the A Boa Qu asteroid fortress, most of the remaining Zeon forces left the Earth-Moon system on an asteroid called Axis.

_Zeon Zum Deikun_ – A philosopher who lived on the colonies who advocated the notion of Newtypes. He was imprisoned by the UN for encouraging terrorism and violence but was later freed by pressure from every colony and many countries on the Earth too. His ideas were about the evolution of the human race while preserving the planet Earth. However he died under mysterious circumstances soon after his release. It has been rumoured that he had two sons that only his closest friends knew about but after his death, both of them disappeared.

_Zeta Plus A1 (MSZ-006A1) _– The second generation of the Zeta-Project. After a long period of development and testing by the AEUG and Nord Industry to create an all round mobile suit, the Zeta Gundam series was perfected. The Zeta Plus A1 is one of the first descendants of the original Zeta Gundam. Armed with two beam cannons, a pair of beam sabres and vulcans, the Zeta Plus A1 also included the Waverider mobile armour mode of the original. The Zeta series allowed its suits to be used on land, sky and space to lessen the cost of producing specialised units.

_Zondo Gei _– The standard issue mobile suit of the Crossbone Vanguard. Though few in numbers, their experienced pilots are able to pilot these small nimble mobile suits and run circles around inexperienced pilots. Armed with a shot-lancer and standard beam rifle and sabre.


	3. Timeline 2010AD to 0089CY

**G Generation Dreams: Timeline**

_**10-01-2010AD:**_ The UN, realising that they cannot sustain current development with just fossil fuels alone, order construction of orbital solar energy collectors as well as contracting firms to design and construct ships to retrieve asteroids from the belt between Mars and Jupiter to sustain production. Vast amount of cash are pumped into the project by the Middle Eastern countries, who foresee the end of reliance on fossil fuels.

_**13-05-2020AD:**_ General Electric, BAE Systems, Thales and Lockheed Martin reveal their plans for a new class of bipedal vehicle. Based on the engineering principles of Dr Jonathan Huang, the vehicle had high all-terrain manoeuvrability and maintained balance via an interlaced thrusters system. It was powered by a Perkins CV-15 Diesel engines, its extreme flexibility in operation have sparked interest by the US, EU and the UK. The same companies now begin construction of the first interplanetary spaceships.

_**01-08-2021AD:**_China, India and Japan all reveal their own bipedal designs to the general public.

_**29-09-2031AD:**_ The first bipedal vehicle put into action by the United States military as a all-terrain and all-weather transport. The new transport was given the designation: MU-01, Mobile Unit-01.

_**02-10-2034AD:**_With reasons unknown, the United States military suddenly withdraws all Mobile Units from the battlefield, citing a high degree of accidents. Rumours claim that it was the UN General Secretary Umami Garret who requested the US to remove the transports from the battlefield so that it could be redesigned.

_**31-03-2040AD:**_The Jupritus, Solaris and Capricorn Interplanetary Resource Asteroid Collection ships are completed. They launch with their 10,000 crew and estimated to return by 2069.

_**31-04-2052AD**_**: **According to the UN Statistics Division, the world's population reaches 9 billion. India surpasses China in terms of population. During the same month, the UN Council convenes to determine what how to create a sustainable tomorrow. They contract every single think-tank and university in the world to come up with a solution. With upcoming food and fuel shortages, disagreements between countries took a back seat to the extreme possibility of human extinction.

_**01-05-2052AD:**_All active conflicts around the globe ceases in the face of possible extinction. Umami Garret claims that world peace has finally been achieved with the human race facing a common adversary.

_**10-07-2052AD:**_ The global academic community finally reaches a conclusion: colonisation of space. That same day, the UN passes Resolution 2539 stating that all countries will pool their resources together to begin peaceful exploration and colonisation of space. In addition, UN Resolution 2540 passes. It states that each country submits 20% of their military to be UN control. Thus, the world's largest military was formed under the name of UEM, or United Earth Military.

_**23-09-2052AD:**_The first human with augmented genes to combat cancer born on Earth. He was hailed as the next step in human evolution. However, the UN still debates the ethical implications of genetic engineering.

_**16-10-2054AD:**_ The first plans were designed of the UN Moon Facilities and UN Colony. With input from every country on the planet, the designs were finalised and the technology developed to build such a wonder within 2 years. Migration plans are drawn up by the UN Security Council.

_**03-02-2057AD**_**:** First riots over food and fuel shortages around the globe begin.

_**18-11-2057AD:**_ UN issues it's first UEM Resolution: To quell disturbances around the globe, if any country requests assistance. With over 50 million personnel and the top technology donated by every country, the UEM manages to quell 99% of all riots around the globe. General Secretary Garret then asks the UN Council to issue Resolution 2591, to redistribute resources to the construction of the colonies so that they will be completed by 2070. Construction of the moon-base, Grenada, begins. Umami Garret retires as General Secretary of the UN and Jonathan Nicoli replaces him.

_**01-01-2060AD:**_The foundations were laid at the first colony, Home-1, at Lagrange Point 1 (L1). It was revealed that the Mobile Units that were pulled from the Afghanistan front were redeveloped for construction of the space colonies. They were renamed Mobile Suits to reflect the normal suits (space suit) worn by the construction workers. Development of solar panels around the planet to collect sunlight completed and the use of fossil fuels slowly disappears.

_**27-02-2062AD:**_After the successful completion of the super structure on Home-1, construction begins on Home-2 and Home-3 at L1.

_**21-03-2062AD:**_ Dr Y Minovsky and Dr L Inoesco of MIT Physics department announces the discovery of a new particle that can contain nuclear reactions. The discovery and manufacturing of Minovsky particles means that humans now can control nuclear energy at critical mass without fallout. This was the basic principle of the Minovsky-Inoesco reactor. General Secretary Nicoli heralds in a new era of independence from fossil fuels.

_**06-03-2065AD**_**: **Earth population estimated at 10 billion by the UN Statistics Division. Construction of the Moon-base Grenada completed. With the supply base now active on the moon, development of the colonies at L2 starts. Plans are laid out for the colonisation of Mars.

_**30-05-2069AD: **_Home-1 completed. The General Secretary Nicoli announces that the first group of 70,000 citizens will migrate to Home-1 with another 100,000 joining them within the end of the first year.

_**29-09-2069AD:**_ The Jupritus, Solaris and Capricorn return from their mission, bringing with them the asteroids Solomon, Axis and Dimitri. The ships begin immediate refuelling, maintenance and resupply for their next mission. With the sudden surplus in raw materials, the UN announces its plans to expand the scope of the colonies to the Earth and put forward plans for construction of colonies at all 5 Lagrange Points. Several countries within the UN begin to put forward objections to the use of the now abundant resources on colony construction, stating it was now time to develop the Earth.

_**01-01-2070AD:**_ The Solaris and Capricorn are sent back to the asteroid belt to collect two more resource asteroids. The Jupritus was given another mission. It was to be sent to Jupiter to collect Helium-3 to fuel the Minovsky-Ionesco reactors.

_**01-07-2070AD: **_Colonial Constructions take over management and maintenance of the colonies from the UN. Construction now begins at L2, L3, L4 and L5. The UN plans to build enough colonies to house 9 billion citizens. UN Resolution 2750 calls for all countries to move 75% of their current population onto the colonies. Construction of the Mars colony ship Hope-1 begins. 20,000 colonists are selected from 30 million applicants for the mission. Another base constructed on the Moon: Acteria. Bigger than Grenada it was built to take some of the traffic that was being generated by the construction of the colonies.

_**19-09-2073AD: **_Around 2 billion are now residing in space at Lagrange Point 1 with another 1 billion at Lagrange Point 2. A group of 20 South American countries issue an official protest to the UN of the reported forcible removal of their citizens to the colonies. They state that their citizens have the right to remain on the Earth. The UN ignores the statement and continues migration programme.

_**02-12-2074AD:**_The 20 South American countries that opposed the UN migration issued a statement that it will no longer participate in the UN in order to maintain their sovereignty. They throw out the UN battalions stationed within their boarders and form the Anti-UN Alliance, the AUNA.

_**24-12-2074AD:**_ UN/UEM Resolution 66 issued by General Secretary Nicoli with the blessing of all major countries to remove the "rouge" governments from power. 12 hours after the resolution passes, three battalions of UEM tanks rolled into Mexico.

_**30-12-2074AD:**_ The first mobile suits were seen used in an offensive capacity. Redesigned and armed with a 105mm heavy machine gun, the MS-05A Zaku I was deployed with great effect.

_**05-01-2074AD:**_ The UEM completes its objective and the governments of the 20 South American countries were removed. The MS-05A Zaku I was officially revealed to the press as the next generation of weapons employed by the UN. The conflict incurred minimum casualties on the UN side and was hailed as the first successful UN intervention. All other countries fall in line to resolution 2750 and begins to move their population into space. Any and all riots are put down by UEM and their new Zaku I's.

_**31-12-2076AD:**_ General Secretary Nicoli and the UN Council announce that the migration to the colonies are complete.

_**01-01-2077AD/01-01-0000CY:**_ Colonial Year replaces Anno Domini as chronology, symbolising a new era in Earth's history.

_**09-11-0005CY:**_There are chronic shortages and unemployment throughout the colonies. Resentment to the UN and those who remains on Earth begin to well up inside the colonists.

_**22-04-0009CY:**_Zeon Zum Deikun born inside colony 4 Side 3 (L2).

_**19-03-0011CY:**_ BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, General Electric and many other military manufacturers merge to become Anaheim Electronics.

_**30-05-0011CY:**_The asteroid Juno moves close enough to the Earth-Moon system to allow it to be brought into lunar orbit. It was renamed Luna II and mining begins on extraction of minerals.

_**24-04-0013CY: **_Degwin Zabi born inside colony 5 of Side 3 (L2).

_**10-07-0013CY:**_ Hope-1 construction completed and departs for Mars.

_**11-11-0013CY:**_ Yuri Minovsky dies of natural causes. General Secretary Nicoli retires. The UN General Secretary replaced by a new philosophy of absolute democracy.

_**12-11-0013CY:**_Minovsky's lab assistant finds plans for a new ultra compact nuclear reactor. But without Minovsky's help, it was left incomplete.

_**30-01-0020CY:**_ The 10 millionth child born on the colonies.

_**19-03-0024CY:**_ The Solaris and Capricorn return with the resource asteroids Boa and Uls from the asteroid field. The Capricorn and Solaris are both retired and broken down for scrap.

_**14-08-0036CY:**_ The first Coordinator born on Home-5 (L1). Within 3 years, 35% of all children born are Coordinators, both on Earth and colonies.

_**29-07-0039CY:**_The UN Council seen as incompetent by the colonists. Absolute democracy has brought about internal bickering with decision making within the council determined by corruption. A new movement inside the colonies begins with Zeon Zum Deikun called cotolism (the belief that the colonies are sovereign entities and the Earth should be left alone to recover).

_**13-07-0045CY:**_Zeon Zum Deikun imprisoned for inciting violence against the UN government. The Zeon movement reports that it has around 3 million followers, most of them on Side 3 (L2).

_**21-12-0046CY:**_The Jupritus returns to Earth-Moon System with its containers full of Helium-3for the Minovsky-Ionesco reactors. It was refuelled, upgraded and sent back to Jupiter.

_**01-07-0050CY: **_Zeon Zum Deikun released from custody and allowed to continue his movement.

_**29-10-0059CY: **_Zeon Zum Deikun proposes Side 3's independence to the UN council.

_**30-10-0059CY: **_The UN Council convenes and denies Side 3's independence.

_**01-11-0060CY: **_Zeon Zum Deikun assassinated. Degwin Zabi takes over the colonial sovereignty movement.

_**12-02-0069CY: **_After being shunned by the general population, around 40% of Coordinator children and their families are moved to the final set of colonies at L3.

_**12-09-9969CY:**_ All contact lost with Hope-1.

_**01-04-0070CY:**_The April Fools Incident occurs. All UN and Zeon research into Mobile Suit technology lost due to simultaneous EMP detonations and virus attacks at Industrial Colony 5 at Side 3 (L2) and Hawaii Mobile Suit Research Institute. The resulting aftermath sets back mobile suit development back by 20 years with the Federation falling back on their aging Zaku I and Zaku II, unable to roll out their Gouf and Dom production lines.

_**21-12-0070CY:**_Despite the set backs of the April Fools Incident, Mega Particles are discovered by researchers simultaneously on Earth and in Side 3.

_**09-04-0071CY:**_ The ultra compact nuclear reactor completed by scientists on Side 3. They begin their own mobile suit production series under the codename Operation V.

_**22-02-0073CY: **_Zeon develops its first mobile suit, the RX-78 Gundam.

_**03-05-0074CY: **_The RGM-78 GM, the mass production version of the Gundam, unveiled by Zeon Engineers. Extremely versatile and customisable for all situations while coupled with low production costs compared to the inflexible Zaku series. UN scientists acquire plans to the ultra compact nuclear reactor and integrate it into the Zaku I and Zaku II designs, replacing the aging electric generators.

_**29-05-0074CY:**_The UN sends in inspectors to Side 3 to search for nuclear weapons. They find none, but find traces of their mobile suit production capabilities. The UN imposes trade and military sanctions on Side 3.

_**29-05-0074CY:**_Degwin Zabi declares Side 3 independence. Side 3 officially renamed Principality of Zeon to honour Zeon Zum Deikun.

_**30-09-0075CY:**_The UN 1st Space Fleet mobilises from Grenada as a show of force against Zeon. Degwin Zabi mobilises the Zeon Space Fleet from Side 3. The two fleets face-off at Side 1 but no shots are fired. A cold war begins between Zeon and the UN.

_**02-11-0078CY:**_ After three years of negotiations with the UN breaks down, several other colonies declares their independence. Side 5 (L1) requests Zeon military support as the UN cracks down on the dissidents.

_**05-11-0078CY:**_Battle of Lohar occurs at Side 5 (L1) with most of the colonies wiped out by nuclear weapons used by both sides. 1 billion civilian lives are lost. Mobile suits were used extensively by both sides. The new GM units outclass the UN's Zaku units thanks to their modular design and customisability. The UN loses 30% of their entire space military with Zeon lose only 10%. The UN issues Resolution 3000 and officially declares war on Zeon. The Helium-3 Treaty signed by the UN, Zeon and independent states stating that all resources brought back by the Jupritus mission will be split between all signatories based on population and industrial size. Construction begins on the Jupritus II interplanetary extraction ship.

_**26-12-0078CY:**_ Zeon launch Operation British and drops a disused colony on Sydney, creating a 20km crater and killing 10 million people.

_**30-12-0078CY:**_ Shocked by the death toll, Zeon and the UN sign the Antarctic Treaty, prohibiting the use of weapons of mass destruction and recognising the neutrality of countries and colonies, if they choose to do so. Zeon take the asteroid base Dimitri, Boa and Uls to create A Boa Qu.

_**12-01-0079CY:**_Zeon begins it's invasion of Earth. They also take Grenada, Acteria, Solomon and Axis, leaving the UN with only Luna II.

_**01-05-0079CY**_**: **Zeon controls half of the planet. The UN hands control of its armed forces to General Kenneth and Admiral Jing and entrust them to win the war. It has been said that this was the day that the war turned. The Gouf and Dom series finally rolled out after 8 years of delays.

_**31-09-0079CY:**_ The UN Earth forces led by General Kenneth retakes all major equatorial space ports and drive the main Zeon forces off Earth. The space offensive, led by Admiral Jing, retake Solomon and Acteria. It was said that Newtypes were deployed in the field by General Kenneth in Russia and Africa.

_**11-11-0079CY:**_The UN Space forces retake Grenada and surround A Boa Qu, the last line of defence for Zeon before Side 3.

_**20-11-0079CY:**_Degwin commits suicide and his children are killed in battle. The Principality of Zeon officially surrenders.

_**30-12-0079CY:**_The remnant Zeon military refuses to surrender. They escape to the Axis resource asteroid and use its boosters to escape the Earth-Moon System. Rumour spreads that some Zeon and UN personnel opposed to the war are hiding in the Lohar Shoal Zone.

_**21-01-0079CY:**_The United States, Canada and Mexico break away from the UN, claiming that not enough funding was allocated to rebuilding their countries. Their armed forces invade South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Anaheim Electronics given permission to integrate Zeonic Corporation's mobile suit technology and production systems.

_**02-02-0079CY: **_Other countries break off from the UN stating that the UN's military was unable to protect them. The UN and UEM collapse. World War III starts. The colonies begin the slow process of rebuilding without the UN's help.

_**29-03-0079CY:**_Orb founded by former UN and Zeon politicians with military personnel in the hope of creating a country where people can live in harmony. They accept refugees from around the globe as well as Coordinators. Nord Industries founded by Robert Nord and becomes the backbone of Orb's industries.

_**14-05-0079CY:**_The Coordinators at Lagrange Point 3 forms a unity government, ZAFT. They offer assistance to the other colonies affected by the Zeon War while also extending aid to countries on Earth. General Steigen outline an armament plan to counter possibility that Earth's World War could spread to the colonies.

_**01-06-0079CY:**_The colony administrators meet on Side 6 (L4) to discuss the situation on Earth and discuss the possibility to declare independence from the planet as its resources that were allocated for colony reconstruction was being redirected for the war effort. However, Colonial Construction vote in favour for keeping its ties with Earth but for all colonies to remain neutral. They foresee that another independence claim will lead to another space war. The Earth factions agrees to maintain peace in space by keeping the UN Spacy intact for the time being.

_**21-12-0079CY:**_Anaheim Electronics declares neutrality in the war and supplies all sides with weapons.

_**23-06-0080CY:**_ 2 tactical nuclear devises were detonated, one in South Korea and one in Argentina. Chemical weapons regularly used on the battlefield.

_**25-06-0080CY:**_A TB "bomb" released in New York City. 20,000 people die within 3 weeks.

_**30-06-0080CY:**_ All countries involved in World War III convene in Tehran and agree to remove all global reconnaissance satellites and reaffirms the Antarctica Treaty to prohibit nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

_**19-08-0080CY:**_The North American militaries pushed back by European forces and forces back into the Atlantic. In Asia, China, India and many southern Asian countries join forces to push back the North American military. It ends with a stalemate between the military powers around the globe.

_**21-08-0081CY:**_Tacit agreements are made to leave the solar collectors in orbit around the planet alone by all countries.

_**31-01-0082CY:**_The Chinese Union take and control most of Eastern and Southern Asia and hold against the North Americans. A stalemate follows between the EU, Chinese Union, North American Pact, Middle Eastern Alliance and African Union.

_**17-02-0082CY:**_ ZAFT unveils the independent flight system for its planned mass production mobile suit, the GINN.

_**16-11-0082CY: **_Nord Industries hailed as one of the best performing firms in the history of mankind thanks to the collaboration of Coordinators, former Zeon and former UN personnel.

_**30-09-0084CY:**_After 5 years of continuous war, the citizens of North America rise up and overthrows their respective governments.

_**27-09-0084CY:**_The former European Union renames itself OZ to allow for the non-European countries inside their alliance. As their first unified act, they move their troops into the Chinese Union, vowing to free the states under its control. The top politicians from OZ form the Romefeller Foundation to fund OZ's ambitions.

_**05-10-0084CY:**_The Titan Military and Economic Pact formed with many countries in North America, South America and Australia signing the agreement. Following the lead of OZ, they too begin to use their military force to begin interventions around the globe.

_**20-03-0085CY:**_ Mass lynching of Coordinators occur in North America. Fearing for their own safety, the Coordinator population emigrate to L5 colony cluster or Orb. Rumour spread that, outside of Orb, only 1million Coordinators live amongst the general population on the planet.

_**01-05-0085CY:**_ The Titans, OZ, African Union, Orb and some independent states meet in Iceland and rectify a new United Nations Charter. The name of the organisation was changed to the Earth United Federation (EUF). This was to reflect that the same mistakes made by the UN will not be repeated again. The two major powers in the world who do not sign were the Chinese Union who was still engaged in combat with OZ, and the Middle Eastern Alliance. The UN Spacy, who was not engaged in combat, was integrated into the EUF under the name of EUFF (Earth United Federal Forces). ZAFT, who wished to enter the Federation as an independent state, was refused membership based on the fact that no colony was independent according to the L4 Treaty.

_**03-05-0085CY: **_The Titan military begins their own RX/RMS Project with help of Anaheim Electronics and contract Nord Industries for the GAT Project. OZ begin their own rearmament plans under the name MD Project with funding direct from the Romefeller Foundation. Orb allowed to use the GAT Project's plans to produce their own mobile suits.

_**05-05-0085CY: **_The Titan Civilian Council approves the discontinuation of the Zaku legacy mobile suits in favour of the more flexible RGM, RMS and RX series.

_**05-06-0085CY:**_Construction of the Jupritus II completed by the Helium-3 Corporation. OZ begins construction of the Barge Strategic Command under the blessings of the EUF.

_**01-07-0085CY:**_ Orb buys control of a new colony from the Colonial Construction for its citizens and renames it Heliopolis. This was the first incidence where a country was allowed to purchase a colony. It also signified the rise of Orb as an economic powerhouse despite its size.

_**11-07-0085CY:**_The Jupritus returns to Earth-Moon System with Helium-3. Under the Helium-3 Corporation's direction, the distribution of Helium-3 the Earth-Moon system completed without problems. The Jupritus retired from active service and the Jupritus II begins its mission.

_**23-12-0085CY: **_Unhappy that the EUF government still treats colony citizens as before the Zeon War, anti-federation factions from the colonies gather together to form the AEUG. They successfully contact the soldiers hiding in the Lohar Shoal Zone and begin their military build up in the relative safety of the Shoal Zone.

_**03-01-0086CY:**_Operation Meteor enters its production phase.

_**19-01-0086CY:**_ The Chinese Union officially surrenders to OZ after 1 year and 4 months of heavy fighting. OZ claims that victory was mainly achieved through its highly trained pilots and new Leo mobile suits. General Dimitrov and Colonel Holm are hailed as the military geniuses behind the crushing victory while vastly outnumbered. Their new mobile suit tactics, logistics and formations become textbook strategies for all OZ cadets. OZ deploys two battalions of mobile suits to the Middle Eastern Alliance's eastern boarder (formerly Azerbaijan).

_**22-03-0086CY:**_A terrorist bombing in London, England kills 24 people. A group called Karaba claims responsibility and issues warnings to all EUF members that further bombings will continue until the EUF recognises the Middle Eastern Alliance's neutrality. The Middle Eastern Alliance issues a statement that it does not recognise the Karaba as a valid organisation and issues warrants for the members' arrest.

_**25-05-0086CY:**_Under resolution 0032, the EUF council requests that ZAFT disclose all activities on it's twelve colonies as well as report all citizen data to them.

_**27-05-0086CY:**_ZAFT refuses to obey resolution 0032. Under orders from the ZAFT Council, the ZAFT military begins to mobilise in anticipation of an attack on their colonies.

_**15-06-0086CY:**_ The Titans are handed co-control of Grenada Moon-Base.

_**19-11-0086CY:**_ The EUF council rescinds resolution 0032 and replaces it with resolution 0034 that states EUF inspectors inspect all 12 ZAFT colonies for suspected weapons of mass destruction, which the Titans claim ZAFT was producing. ZAFT agrees and allows the inspectors onto its colonies.

_**01-01-0087CY:**_ The initial report of the ZAFT inspection released and states that there are no credible traces of weapons of mass destruction. However, the report notes the worrying increase in production of GINN and DINN mobile suits in ZAFT factories as well as increased military spending by the ZAFT council. The Titans reject the report stating inconsistencies and issues their own report.

_**12-01-0087CY:**_ Bomb blast in Beijing kills 10 OZ officers and 32 civilians. Karaba claims responsibility.

_**30-01-0087CY:**_The RMS Titan Xeku Project approved by the Titan Military Council as a competitor against the GAT (Nord Industry) and RX/RGM Gundam Projects (Anaheim Electronics). This was done in the hope that the Titan military will not be purely reliant on outside contractors for its mobile suit technology. The New York Treaty is signed by OZ and Titan leaders, agreeing upon mutual military cooperation and non-interference.

_**31-01-0087CY:**_The Titan, OZ and EUF Spacy conduct exercises outside of L5. ZAFT claims that its cruiser shadows a Titan warship for more than 4 hours before it was noticed. It was forced to disengage when five EUF, OZ and Titan ships surround it. This was the first known encounter between the Earth and ZAFT militaries. Military experts note the advanced technology developed and employed by ZAFT.

_**17-03-0087CY:**_The space battle station Barge is completed. Vice Admiral Adalwolf Fleischer is given command of OZ Spacy's HQ after the death of its original commander, Vice Admiral Lundqvist.

_**23-04-0087CY:**_Admiral Pasture, Admiral Bell and Admiral Clarkson placed in command of the 3 EUF Space Fleets. First deployment of the advanced Argama-Class carriers, jointly developed by Anaheim Electronics and the EUF.

_**21-07-0087CY: **_The Titans force through EUF Resolution 0012 to ban trade with ZAFT by any EUF members. Global stock markets fall by 100 points within 30 seconds of the news report. ZAFT's colonies go into recession as high-tech materials pile up at shipping ports. OZ remains silent on the matter.

_**10-08-0087CY:**_Orb's military contribute 10% of its forces to the EUFF (Planetary Division) despite heavy criticism by its citizens).

_**21-08-0087CY:**_ZAFT Space Fleet leaves ZAFT Colonial Space and circles around the Earth-Moon System. They state that it was a peaceful tour and test of ZAFT defence forces' engines. Titans claim that it was a show of force, banned by the EUF charter. ZAFT counters that they are not part of the EUF, thus immune.

_**29-11-0087CY: **_Titan, OZ and EUF space fleets meet conduct mock space battle at L1 colony space. The exercise ends in tragedy as two Salamis cruisers (Titan and OZ) collide. 16 die.

_**13-01-0088CY:**_African Union signs non-aggression pact with ZAFT. Allows ZAFT civilians to use Kilimanjaro Mass Driver and Land Port in an effort to encourage tourism.

_**15-01-0088CY:**_ Titans and OZ place heavy sanctions on African Union in response to the non-aggression pact. Titans move their 3rd Naval Fleet to blockade Cape Town. OZ moves its Indian Ocean Fleet off the shore of Madagascar and under EUF guidance, search all cargo ships entering and exiting the Indian Ocean for weapons. African Union's economy not affected by sanctions as trade flows between it and ZAFT flourishes.

_**20-01-0088CY:**_ African Union requests ZAFT military for "protection against EUF aggression" [cite President Mabuto Jones, AU President]. African Union officially expelled from the EUF. OZ's Mediterranean Amphibious Assault Command put on high alert that afternoon.

_**22-01-0088CY:**_ Command of the Quest Team given to Major James Harris after his second refusal to be promoted to Colonel.

_**25-01-0088CY:**_ OZ declares war on the African Union. They launch an assault on former Egyptian Al Iskandariyah port from Port Pompey. They overpower the local African Union forces with minimal loses. General Dimitrov gives press conference stating that OZ will the Kilimanjaro Mass Driver to prevent ZAFT making a foothold on Earth. OZ requests EUF to support its actions. The council convenes but no action is taken.

_**27-01-0088CY:**_ General Dimitrov leads OZ's 3rd Mobile Division into Sudan.

_**30-01-0088CY: **_ZAFT and African Union forces mount a successful defence against OZ's troops Battalion using GINN mobile suits in the outskirts of Al Khurtum. They wipe out OZ's 3rd Armoured Brigade and most of the 24th Mobile Battalion. General Dimitrov orders all units to lay siege to Al Khurtum while waiting for the 9th Mobile Division to reinforce them.

_**31-01-0088CY:**_ZAFT's Vosgulov submarine, Kartesia, slip between the Titan anti-submarine picket and sink the 3rd Naval Fleet's flagship, the Ulysses, and carrier, the Humorous, while damaging 5 other escorts before escaping. The 3rd Fleet retreats back to Panama.

_**04-02-0088CY: **_Reinforced by the 9th Mobile Division, OZ takes Al Khurtum but faces stiff resistance almost everywhere else. Without the Titan 3rd Fleet at the African west coast, all ZAFT and African Union units converge on Sudan. OZ holds Al Khurtum and the war reaches a stalemate.

_**13-02-0088CY:**_ZAFT launches an attack on Acteria moon-base and achieves a foothold. The entire Pasture and half of Clarkson fleets were wiped out by a technologically superior force. EUF retreats to Grenada and Luna II.

_**20-02-0088CY:**_The EUF officially declares war on ZAFT and the African Union. Titan, EUF (Planetary Division) and other independent state's militaries reinforce OZ forces in Al Khurtum.

_**05-03-0088CY:**_Uprisings reported in California, Prague, Hong Kong, Perth and Mexico City. OZ and Titan security forces quell uprisings. 123 protestors confirmed killed in Hong Kong, unknown in other cities. Karaba claims responsibility.

_**12-03-0088CY:**_Operation Meteor commencement put on hold.

_**01-04-0088CY:**_ZAFT drops forces on New Sydney and Sydney crater. General Islington uses Blitzkrieg style tactics and sweep across Australia with 2nd High Amour Corp, 9th Medium Armour Division and 3rd Supply Brigade. Titan 3rd Army pushed back towards the Northern Territories as ZAFT achieves air-superiority with the self-propelled GINN and DINN mobile suits.

_**05-04-0088CY: **_The 2nd Titan Naval Fleet is dispatched from San Francisco with the 9th Mobile Brigade and 13th Anti-Air Combat Battalion.

_**11-04-0088CY: **_OZ begins moving Barge towards L5 with the 1st Space Fleet.

_**15-04-0088CY: **_Titan 2nd Space Fleet conduct regular combat patrols around Earth's atmosphere.

_**17-04-0088CY:**_ZAFT takes Port Lincoln, Alice Springs and Darwin. General Islington announce that all of eastern Australia is under ZAFT control. Titan 2nd Naval Fleet attacked by five Vosgulov class submarines in the Pacific, the 2nd Naval Fleet is recalled back to Fiji after heavy losses.

_**10-04-0088CY:**_ Plans are found for the former Chinese Union's Geminass Programme. Vice Admiral Fleischer orders the Former Chinese Union R&D department to continue its research.

_**18-04-0088CY: **_Poll conducted in eastern Australia shows that 62% of the general population regards ZAFT as friends, 23% are neutral to ZAFT presence and only 15% are hostile.

_**15-05-0088CY: **_ZAFT forces in full control of Australia. The 5th ZAFT Medium Armour Division is dropped in from orbit while under heavy fire by the Titan 2nd Space Fleet.

_**16-05-0088CY: **_The EUF calls an emergency session, inviting ZAFT and the African Union to the proceedings. All sides agree to a 8 month ceasefire in order to allow the diplomats time to achieve a peaceful solution.

_**20-06-0088CY:**_ A bomb explodes within the EUF Icelandic Parliament building. The Karaba claims responsibility, stating that they will not rest until the Middle Eastern Alliance is free from oppression by OZ and the EUF. While the diplomats worked, all factions begin a quiet arms race.

_**13-07-0088CY:**_ Riken Holm promoted from Colonel to General of OZ Army. The position was given to him by the Romefeller Foundation to counter General Dimitrov, who has been reported to be disillusioned by OZ's current global position and disappointed with the Romefeller Foundation.

_**15-07-0088CY:**_ Operation Darling enters planning phase.

_**30-09-0088CY:**_ Several supply shipments passing near the Lohar Shoal Zone raided by unknown pirates. The EUF dispatch Taskforce Calais to investigate.

_**24-12-0088CY:**_ Coordinators and EUF forces break lines and enjoy a game of football in Al Khurtum. The game was won by the expected victors, the Coordinators, but only by one goal. A photograph of the football players on the pitch, silhouetted by the bright African Sun, is circulated around the globe by the press and Internet.

_**16-01-0089CY:**_ The truce expires and no solution was found by the diplomats and negotiators. The war continues.

_**21-01-0089CY:**_ GAT Project completes 5 prototypes. Orb's own Astray programme enters testing phase.

_**22-01-0089CY:**_ ZAFT's new ocean-borne fleet, 1st Navy, launches an attack on the Caribbean islands. Titan forces led by Lieutenant General Thompson successfully repel the fleet despite inferior numbers. Titan leaves its 3rd Fleet anchored at Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

_**01-02-0089CY:**_ The Titan military mobilises the 54th Specialist Taskforce, led by Captain Blanc of the Severn towards the ZAFT colonies. Their target is Jenius colony cluster, the suspected WMD weapons manufacturing plant.

_**07-02-0089CY:**_ ZAFT's 1st Space Fleet launches a failed raid attempt at Luna II. EUF and Titan 2nd Space Fleet successfully repel the invading force but sustain heavy damage. Reinforcements are called in from Grenada to support then.

_**14-02-0089CY:**_ The Bloody Valentine/Tragedy of Valentine occurs. A tactical nuclear warhead strikes an agricultural colony, Jenius 7, and kills 250,000 civilians.

_**16-02-0089CY:**_ ZAFT Heavy Armour and African Union Mobile Infantry battalions retake Al Khurtum after bitter fighting. They begin to push back the EUF and OZ forces into Egypt.

_**19-02-0089CY:**_ ZAFT launches surprise commando attack on Greenland. Major General Thompson takes command of the faltering EUF, OZ and Titan forces and mounts a successful counter attack.

_**26-02-0089CY**_**: **Modified version of Operation Meteor put into motion.

_**10-03-0089CY:**_ First RMS Xeku and RX Hazel unit completed. Both are handed to the 13th Mobilised Squad of the Mobile Suit Commando Division.

_**17-03-0089CY: **_The GAT prototypes moved to Orb's Heliopolis colony for space testing.

_**21-03-0089CY:**_ General Dimitrov wounded in action. OZ lines break apart in Egypt. General Jensen replaces Dimitrov but OZ forces continues to retreat towards the Mediterranean.

_**23-03-0089CY: **_The Londo Bell Fleet dispatched to the Angola Shoal Zone to find lost ships and investigate sightings of a "pirate" style cruiser seen in its vicinity.

_**30-03-0089CY:**_ Side 3 (L2) and Side 6 (L4) declare neutrality in the conflict, offering sanctuary to any refugees fleeing the conflict.

_**02-04-0089CY:**_ ZAFT begins invasion of Cairo. ZAFT forces infiltrate Orb owned Heliopolis and steal four of the five GAT Gundams. EUF carrier Albion sunk during the battle. Titan Alexandria Class battleship Severn pursues to escaping Nazca-Class cruiser. Operation Meteor reaches Earth. OZ loses contact with the St. Helena military base. The Londo Bell fleet enters Heliopolis space and offers its assistance.

_**05-04-0089CY:**_ Titan battleship Severn and ZAFT cruiser Versailles pass through Jenius 7 Shoal Zone.

_**06-04-0089CY:**_OZ forces pushed back to Sicily. ZAFT and African Union forces bolster defences on the Egyptian coast line. Titans mobilises their Indian ocean 2nd and 4th Fleets towards western Australia while it's Pacific 5th Fleet was seen leaving Fiji heading to Australia as well.

_**07-04-0089CY:**_ Former Chinese Union forces, now part of OZ's 3rd Army, amasses along Afghanistan's boarder, the Middle Eastern Alliance's eastern frontier. The Middle Eastern Alliance mobilises their forces east but analysts believe that their aging mobile suits and limited number of newer Maganac units will not be able to stop the OZ forces if they invade.

_**10-04-0089CY:**_ Grenada receives distress call from the Londo Bell Fleet. All contact with the fleet is lost.

_**11-04-0089CY:**_ Operation Juggle completed successfully by OZ forces in Europe by drawing out Karaba and AEUG elements hiding on Earth.

_**17-04-0089CY:**_ OZ Prize's General Brachev assassinated at Munich OZ Prize base. The Karaba claims responsibility. OZ issues statement saying that it will not tolerate further terrorist actions coming from the Middle Eastern Alliance. The 3rd Army is put on high alert. Middle Eastern Alliance President, Mohammed Kazi, issues martial law and prepares his country for an invasion.

_**18-04-0089CY:**_ The remnants of the Londo Bell Fleet returns to Grenada. Their crews charged with high treason. They escape with help of AEUG terrorists.

_**19-04-0089CY:**_ The Calais Taskforce returns to Grenada, badly damaged. The 13th Mobilised Squad is renamed to the 9th Independent Mobile Squad in recognition of their mobile suit testing status. Fighting on all fronts with ZAFT slows. Both sides reconsolidate their positions.

_**21-04-0089CY:**_ A Titan Garuda-Class transport seen over Orb airspace. No explanation given as to why it was there. 3 of the 4 Vosgulov-class submarines inside the Indian Ocean sunk by Titan anti-submarine destroyers. 2 more Vosgulov-class subs reassigned from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. The ZAFT 2nd Fleet, anchored off Sydney moves to intercept the Titan 5th Fleet but were unable to locate them. Major General Thompson is put in charge of the counter-attack on Australia.

_**23-04-0089CY:**_ The OZ Expeditionary Fleet sweeps the Lohar Shoal Zone for activity. The Salamis cruiser Minor collides with debris and is sunk. No survivors found.

_**25-04-0089CY:**_ Titan 2nd, 4th and 5th Naval Fleets attacks Perth, Onslow and Northampton on the Australian west coast. They successfully achieves a foothold in Perth and Onslow while the Northampton attack was repelled. Titan, EUF and OZ leaders meet in secrete in Southampton, England. AEUG and Karaba terrorists attack, killing the EUF civilian and military leadership. Admiral Pastures orders the EUF to disband. An unknown phenomenon hits the planet, causing widespread panic and chaos as 10% of the population goes on a rampage. Neo Zeon announces its return to the Earth-Moon System. Two fleets of ships sighted around the Axis resource satellite as they move towards Side 3 (L2).

**NOTE UL001A: The story has a 3 month gap, which begins here. Please read the following entries 01-05-0089CY – 28-07-0089CY** **to understand what happens in between.**

_**01-05-0089CY:**_ Riken Holm personally leads the 3rd OZ Army and invades Afghanistan.

_**02-05-0089CY:**_ The 3rd OZ Army uses it's numbers to sweep through Afghanistan towards the capital of the Middle Eastern Alliance, Tehran. Casualties of 100 out of a military force of 200,000 soldiers, 7000 tanks and armoured vehicles, 200 mobile suits with various air, naval and land support personnel and equipment reported, while the Middle Eastern Alliance suffer more than 10000 casualties reported for the day. Simultaneously, OZ's 4th Army invades Turkey through what was formerly Bulgaria and Georgia. The elite Maganac squads in each Middle Eastern Alliance country mobilised. President Mohammed Kazi condemn the invasion and call on the Titan Council and African Union for military aid. ZAFT offers non-military aid in the form of medicine and shelter, which the President Kazi refuses, citing the need for military resources rather than humanitarian aid.

_**03-05-0089CY:**_ Titans and OZ dignitaries sign a military and economic non-interference and cooperation treaty. This effectively cuts any help the Titans can provide the Middle Eastern Alliance. African Union declines to help the Middle Eastern Alliance, stating it's resources are tied in the war in Northern Africa with OZ, Titans and former EUF forces. OZ's 3rd Army splits at Herat, Afghanistan, with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd division pushing north into Turkmenistan and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th divisions pushing towards Tehran and Saudi Arabia.

_**12-05-0089CY: **_Tehran falls to OZ while the 3rd and 4th Army pushes through Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Maganac and Middle Eastern Alliance troops falter without leadership from Tehran. President Kazi's ruling party could not be found.

_**14-05-0089CY:**_ An abandoned camp belonging to the Karaba terrorist cell discovered in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

_**22-05-0089CY:**_ OZ forces breaks through final defensive line put up by the Maganac mobile suit division and Middle Eastern Alliance troops in Duqm, Oman.

_**25-05-0089CY: **_OZ declares an end to major offensive action in the Middle East, just short of declaring victory. President Kazi resurfaces in Eritrea and sets up a government in exile in the city of Asmara. Remnants of the Middle Eastern Alliance military begin guerrilla-style attacks on OZ forces in former Middle Eastern Alliance territory.

_**30-05-0089CY:**_ Riken Holm returns to London and hailed as a military genius by the OZ commons and lords parliaments. He is promoted to the rank of Field Marshal, effectively replacing General Dimitrov as the head of the regular OZ armed forces, but not of the OZ Prize armed forces, which still remained under the control of the Lords parliament. General Dimitrov reassigned as joint-military commander of all OZ forces in the Middle East.

_**01-06-0089CY:**_ OZ and Titan space forces meet Neo Zeon forces at Side 3 Colony cluster. The meeting went without incident, with both sides exchanging friendly messages before retreating.

_**02-06-0089CY:**_ OZ, Titan, Orb, ZAFT and African Alliance members meet at the neutral colony cluster Side 6 with Neo Zeon representatives to discuss Side 3's status as a nation.

_**05-06-0089CY: **_Large explosion occurs in Baghdad. The Karaba announces it will target all OZ military personnel with the help of the former Middle Eastern Alliance military. It also states that the civilian population move stay clear of any OZ personnel, bases and equipment.

_**06-06-0089CY:**_ All parties agree and recognise Neo Zeon as a valid military force, protecting Side. Sophia Cognant declares Side 3 neutral in the Earth/ZAFT conflict and offers to mediate between the sides. She sets a date of 01-09-0089CY for all factions, including representatives from all warring parties (including AEUG, Middle Eastern Alliance, Karaba etc.), to come to the resource asteroid Axis to discuss possibilities for peace.

_**15-06-0089CY: **_Heavy snowfall reported all along the equator. Scientists attribute Operation British's colony-drop and the subsequent dust cloud as the cause. Fighting between OZ, Titans, African Alliance and ZAFT stop in Africa, Middle East and Australia as all sides tries to refit their forces for snow and ice combat.

_**20-06-0089CY: **_5 days of continuous snow means equatorial areas saw an average of 3 feet of snow per day. Military personnel pulled from fighting to aid civilians who are unable to cope with the weather pattern shift.

_**21-06-0089CY:**_ A 20 day truce is called between the warring parties on Earth in order to refocus on providing aid to civilians around the globe.

_**25-06-0089CY:**_ Snowfall stops in equatorial areas and temperature fall to minus figures in Argentina, Australia, Egypt, India and Saudi Arabia. Civilians refugees begin moving out of equatorial areas towards warmer northern and southern climates.

_**01-07-0089CY:**_ Temperatures in equatorial areas begin to rise. As ice and snow melt, flood warnings are issued around the globe. Local governments and militaries overwhelmed with the task of protecting towns and cities from the melting ice and snow.

_**02-07-0089CY: **_Neo Zeon offers it's military and civilian personnel to help with stabilising the situation on Earth. No one objects. The Raw Fleet mobilises from Side 3 with supplies towards Earth.

_**05-07-0089CY:**_ Neo Zeon drops mobile suits and materials from orbit to Southern America, Sub-Asian continent and Australia. The media reports Neo Zeon to be much more capable than OZ, Titan and ZAFT units in handling the crisis, hailing them as the Earth's saviours. Military analysts note huge advancements in Zeon military technology, specifically citing the Gaza-D and Gaza-E series being used to ferry materials.

_**08-07-0089CY:**_ 15 high ranking OZ military personnel killed in Doha, Qatar by a road-side bomb. The convoy was travelling from Doha airport to the city centre to discuss the reformation of the Middle East Parliament. Riken Holm rumoured to be amongst the injured.

_**09-07-0089CY: **_Titan forces hold Western Australia, from Darwin to Kalgoorlie. Alice Springs under siege by Titan Forces as the 2nd ZAFT High Armour Corp digs in while battlelines are redrawn.

_**10-07-0089CY:**_ OZ begins it's anti-terrorism offensive throughout the Middle East. Abductions and random shelling by OZ military on civilian targets reported by journalists in the Middle East.

_**11-07-0089CY:**_ The 20 day truce ends and fighting breaks out again across Northern Africa and Australia.

_**13-07-0089CY:**_ A Neo Zeon relief camp accidentally bombed by Titan forces in Timber Creek Australia outrages Side 3 citizens. The Titan top brass offers apologies to the victims and dismisses the commander of the northern offensive.

_**14-07-0089CY:**_ Orb allows Neo Zeon relief mission on Earth to use it's docks and linear catapult to resupply and return to space, if need be. Sophia Cognant welcomes the move by the Orb Council and orders all Neo Zeon military personnel to relocate to Orb and prepare to return to space by 01-09-0089CY to prepare for the peace conference at Axis.

_**19-07-0089CY:**_ A large diamond super structure is photographed by a passing transport at Pezun mining asteroid (L4), controlled by the Titans. It is unknown what the Titan military is building, but one Titan military expert states that it could be the Titan's answer to OZ's Barge space station.

_**20-07-0089CY:**_ OZ's barge space station moves reported to changed it's L5 orbit and set a course towards L4.

_**22-07-0089CY:**_ ZAFT's 3rd Space Fleet breaks through the OZ's 1st Fleet's blockade while Barge is away. Supply ships make their way to Earth.

_**24-07-0089CY:**_ ZAFT's 3rd Space Fleet meets a Titan and OZ blockade in Earth orbit. The 3rd Fleet suffers a 50% loss, but crucial supplies are dropped into Africa and Australia, with 1 fresh division of men, machines and materials for each operational theatre.

_**28-07-0089CY:**_ Barge seen in orbit around L4 for 4 hours before heading back to L5.

**NOTE UL002A: Main story restarts here.**

_**30-07-0089CY:**_ OZ's Hawking Research facility, outside of Side 5, attacked by what was later identified as a combined AEUG and EUF (Londo Bell Fleet and Calais Taskforce). A rumour spread that a single experimental mobile suit was stolen from the facility and the first use of remote controlled Mobile Dolls in actual combat.

_**31-07-0089CY:**_ OZ confirms the destruction of 1 ship out of 5 from it's Experimental First Fleet and at the same time declassifies what it calls the Clop-class warship, which will replace the aging Salamis and Magellan-class warship.


	4. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Heliopolis**

The sky within the Heliopolis colony was clear and the sun beat down onto the colony floor. The giant cylindrical colony floated alone in space like a beacon, shining brightly. The colony looked like it was split into four different sections, two of which were giant windows, which let the precious light to shine into the interior, with the help of wing-like mirrors that protruded backwards from the front of the colony. The other two plates were covered with trees and houses on the interior like a watercolour painting. Created to give people the ability to leave the overcrowded Earth, these new habitats dotted around the gravity free regions around the Earth, were used to house the 4 billion inhabitants of outer space.

The large public news television showed a reporter in a war zone.

"ZAFT has just begun to shell Cairo; it looks like they're putting everything into this assault on the city!" The man shouted into his microphone, trying to make himself hear over the explosions, "The Titan forces--what the hell! Get down!" he was cut off when a winged grey robot landed in the street behind him. Barrel sized bullet cartridges fell to the ground as the machine gun fired, forcing the camera man and the news reporter to take shelter in a nearby building.

"It looks like ZAFT GINN mobile suits have broken the perimeter!" The reporter said as he dusted himself off inside the building, "We'll bring you –" The picture on the screen turned a blinding white and static followed.

"We seemed to have lost the connection with our reporter. Orb News hopes to reconnect with them as soon as possible. In other news today…"

The people of Heliopolis walked past the giant screen without even looking up. They weren't interested in the war that was being fought on Earth. As citizens of the colony of Heliopolis, a neutral Orb colony, they were free from the stresses of conflict and free to lead a peaceful life.

In the distance, a single ele-car drove down a deserted highway towards a large grey building. There was a gloomy atmosphere inside it as the three occupants sat in silence. The oriental man, who was driving, turned his head slightly to the girl in a brown trench coat sat in the back seat.

"We're almost there, Kriss." He saw an annoyed look on her face and turned back around. "You know, if we weren't here to oversee the transfer of the Titan GAT units and collect the Astrays, you wouldn't even be here…Do you mind talking to her, Terrance?" He said to the other man beside him seeing that the girl wasn't even listening to him.

"I think Kuro's right, Miss Sampson. We convinced your father to let you come to Heliopolis, especially after the Titans and Oz banned most commercial travel between the colonies, so why the glum face? You should be happy."

She remained silent for a while before answering.

"Its not you guys. I appreciate what you did for me. But the Titans," There was a tone of bitterness in her voice, "Why do they have to bring their military research here? All the Titans do is bring war." Her words trailed off as the car drove up a ramp and into the complex car park.

"I know how you feel. It's not right, but we don't live in a perfect world. Orb is part of the EUF, so we have an obligation to allow any EUF members access to our colonies, even if we are neutral. That's politics for you. Plus, they contracted out Orb's Nord Industries to create the Phase Shift Armour." The driver, Kuro, said to Kriss as he parked the car and the three got out. "The Titans presence isn't permanent. They're leaving after the transfer. There shouldn't be any trouble. Right Terr?"

Though Kuro and Terrance both liked to believe that life was that simple, but it rarely is.

-----

The every colony, including Heliopolis, built is split into 2 main sections: the outer level and the inner level. The outer level is filled with space docks, industrial compartments and support structures to keep the inner residential level together.

The airlock in section 3A9 has never been used after the completion of Heliopolis, nor has the security system been deactivated. Several small boxes can be seen on the walls blinking silently. A deactivated camera would have shown colony security a large group of people in green and red streamlined normal suits, a name given to space suits since the invention of mobile suits, float by. It would also have seen the face of a man in a red space suit place a small rectangular box on its side, pressed a few buttons and float off to follow his comrades with a smile on his face.

-----

A white spaceship slowly floated closer and closer to the Heliopolis colony. The ship was similar to a horse, with four sections stretching forwards and backwards. A single section was held higher than the main hull, looking a lot like a horse's head. The word **_EUFF: Pegasus II – ALBION_** could be seen on one of the 'legs' of the battleship.

"Sir, we have permission to dock at Heliopolis." The bridge Albion was unusually quiet. Normally it is filled with a low chatter of the bridge crew, since the assault carrier Albion's crew just clearance for their first shore-leave since the beginning of the war, the crew had a chance to relax and forget the stresses of conflict.

"Very well, Lieutenant. Take her in, and this time do it _slowly_." The bearded captain did not want to see his ship being scraped across the hanger bay again by the helmsman again.

The door leading onto the bridge slid open and a young man, wearing a white uniform with a black strip across the shoulder glided in.

He kept on gliding until he reached the captain's chair. The weak magnets under his shoes connected with the metal walk way as he landed. "Any sign of the Nazca heavy cruiser shadowing us, sir?" He had a deep rich voice that resembled those aristocrats of old, only with a light American accent.

"No. It seems that they've decided to play it safe and move behind the debris here." The captain pointed up to a map of the area displayed above them. "Our sensors can't penetrate that amount of space debris. Anyway, they wouldn't attack an Orb just because we're here. I don't think they're willing to start a diplomatic incident over one ship." There was an air of confidence around the captain, almost overconfidence. The officer did not like it one bit. "But just in case, I'm afraid I have to assign your squadron to daily patrols, Captain Garland. Co-ordinate your efforts with colony security."

"Yes, sir." _Damn, there goes my shore leave._ "I'll go and prepare the Moebius and the Jegans." The man named Sieg Garland saluted and floated towards the lift door at the back of the bridge. Just as the lift doors closed the communications exclaimed something that no one expected:

WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE TITAN MILITARY'S HERE!

_What the hell are the Titans doing here? Suppose that's to be expected, they never follow the rules EUF set down._ Sieg though to himself as the lift descended into the depths of the ship.

In the hanger bay, three Jegan mobile suits stood upright inside metallic rigging with mechanics floating around and giving the suits maintenance. There was another machine in the hanger, but it wasn't a robot.

Sieg drifted up onto the catwalk next to his maple coloured mobile armour. He remembers the days when pilots only fought in aircrafts with jet engines. Now, the closest thing to those is his Moebius Zero. The Moebius Zero was given to him when Earth United Federation Forces found that he had Newtype powers. The gunbarrels were controlled remotely by the Newtype's expanded mind through a series of circuits that lined the cockpit.

A flash streaked across Sieg's mind. It was not a physical flash, but rather a sort of premonition when danger is near. _That woman's here. This could mean trouble..._

-------

It had been man's dream to live in space and with the population of Earth reaching 9 billion, that dream was put into motion. Thus in the year 2077AD marked a new beginning of an era, Colonial Year (CY), for man completed the first operational artificial residential and industrial satellite, calling it a colony. People began to move to these pristine new homes from Earth to begin a new life in space. The migration was slow at first, however as the population of Earth grew to 11 billion, the United Nations began Project Exodus. It involved the creation of many more colonies and the migration of 2/3 of the population on Earth onto them. Riots soon broke out in all countries, but the United Nations' military used brand new technology called Mobile Suits, giant 16-meter tall robots, to quell the rioters. By the end of the decade, the project was completed.

Within the newly built colonies, the people often lived in squalid conditions and in constant recessions; soon feelings of jealousy and resentment towards those who were allowed to remain on Earth grew in people's hearts. Amid these negative feelings, a philosopher, named Zeon Zum Deikun, took non-violently rallied for colonial independence from the Earth. His voice was suppressed by the UN and jailed. The philosopher continued his peaceful campaign while in jail. Soon his story began to spread throughout the Earth Sphere. Zeon was freed after seven years in jail, but all that time he never lost hope. During his time in jail, he wrote his first book, Newtypes. While this continued, research into genetics and DNA manipulation yielded the very first Coordinator, designer babies with greater abilities than natural born babies. Thus, almost half the population of space and Earth flocked to have designer babies.

Tensions between Earth and the colonies rose when the philosopher died under mysterious circumstances and his close friend, Degwin Zabi, took command of the colony independence movement, renaming it the Principality of Zeon in memory of the dead philosopher, but his intentions were totally opposite of Zeon's. Both of Zeon's sons disappeared after his death. After various negotiations with the United Nations, talks finally broke down, with both sides arming themselves for war with Zeon dropping a 2km colony on Earth.

Thus began the bloodiest war in history, with more than quarter of the human race wiped out in the first months of the war. The attacks saw the use of nuclear and chemical weapons to wipe out Zeon bases on Earth and in Space but finally defeated Principality of Zeon. The remaining Zeon forces retreated onto a mining comet and left the Earth-Moon system.

-------

On board the Versailles, Captain Brennan Reyes peered at his watch for the third time in two minutes. He was becoming fidgety in his chair, occasionally tapping his fingers on the armrest. "Two minutes…" he mumbled to himself.

"Be patient, Captain, it'll begin soon." A woman in a white and grey officer's uniform sat beside him said quietly. She wore a white mask that covered her eyes, all the way from her forehead and to her nose, creating an air of mystery. Her pale blond hair flowed down to her shoulders.

No one on the ship knew why she wore the mask, but rumours say that her eyes were damaged in a piloting accident, which made them sensitive to light; hence the mask and the pale blond hair. Of course, these are just rumours.

"Yes, sir." Captain Reyes replied quickly and looked back at the main viewer, currently showing nothing but space rock and debris. The woman sitting next to him, Major Dena Nadist, gave him the creeps. It wasn't her mask, but the mask just made the feeling worse. Though she wasn't the reason why he was so nervous. He is a seasoned captain who's been in much worse situations than waiting for a timer to countdown in this Nazca-class ship. So why is he fidgeting? He looked at his watch again; it was exactly 1300 hours.

"Commence operation! Launch the GINNs!" Reyes announced to the bridge crew. Almost immediately, the Nazca's main launch bays opened and four grey GINN mobile suits sped out of the bay towards the revolving colony. The superheated jets of exhaust fired out from the vents on their wings and soon it was the only thing still visible in the distance.

Dena sat silently in her chair. A low hubbub of voices filled the room as communications officers relayed information from the ship to those MS, tactical officers reported on enemy movements and the like. The major was impressed by the way that Captain Reyes crew operated. Suddenly, she felt a flash appeared in her mind.

_Hmph…so this is where you where hiding…_ A thin smile appeared on her face.

Getting up off her chair quickly and gliding gracefully to the bridge's exit, she turned to Reyes. "Captain, tell the MS bays to ready my Gerbera Tetra. I'm joining the assault team." The lift doors closed before he had the chance to object.

_So we meet again… _

_-----_

Walking alone down the long corridors that ran throughout Orb's Nord Industries complex Marcus Kolin, a young redheaded Titan officer, dragged his feet along the floor. Worn out from a long night of studying schematics, controls and safety manuals on the GAT Gundams, he dreamily wondered into a large hanger bay. He won't be personally be piloting them, but he always have been interested in mobile suit mechanics, so reading up about them was just a hobby.

As he entered, three of the GAT mobile suits were driven out of the hanger on trucks, with the remaining two just finished being loaded to the transports. Both of them had similar looking faces, each with a small goatee like piece of metal sticking out at their chins and a V-shaped fins that were mounted on their foreheads. They resembled ancient Japanese Shoguns.

Three other mobile suits, very similar to the GAT units, stood inside steel scaffolding on the other side of the hanger. These three were all identical, except their colours: red, blue and gold. They were Orb's newest mobile suit models.

During his time in Heliopolis, Marcus felt a certain distance between him and the citizens of the colony. Maybe it's because he belonged to the Titan military or he's from Earth. Yet there was also a feeling of home; seeing that Coordinators and naturals could live together in peace and being one of the only Coordinators in the Titan military, he longed for a life where he could be accepted by the people around him.

He felt that it was fortunate for him to be amongst the elite soldiers to be chosen to become the Titans, and at the age of seventeen as well, it was nothing short of a miracle. Although he was only a private, being transferred to a mobile suit company meant a rank promotion to Junior Grade Lieutenant. 'The youngest lieutenant in history' was what he was called by his superiors and 'shead' by some of jealous cadets at the academy.

Two technicians in orange jumpsuits walked past him, both in absolute silence. As they walked past, Marcus noticed something about the technician on the right.

_Wait, was that Ryan?_ He thought to himself stopping to take a better look at him, but they walked around the corner. "Must be hallucinating." He thought out loud thinking that there was no way _that_ guy could be here.

A small bird flew into the hanger and circled around the people and mobile suits below. Marcus looked upwards, realising that it was Torii, his mechanical bird. Seeing that it was making a beeline for a girl in a trench coat, Marcus called out to the bird to stop, but to his surprise, the girl lifted up her finger into the air and Torii landed softly on it.

Looking at the bird with utmost curiosity, she walked towards Marcus.

"This yours?" She asked.

"Y-yes, I mean no, er, not exactly," He replied, swallowing nervously. He was always shy when talking to girls, even to his girlfriend. "It was a g-gift, from a o-old friend."

Looking into her eyes, he noticed that they were an odd shade of orange. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Torii flew off her finger and landed on Marcus' shoulder. He decided to work up the courage to ask her name.

"S-so, w-what's you n-name? Do you have autho-o-orisation to b-be here?" Fearing something bad would happen he flinched slightly after he finished.

"Kriss, Kriss Sampson. And I suppose you're Lieutenant Junior Grade Marcus Kolin." She said peering at the name badge mounted on his Titans uniform. "Suppose you Titan types are all the same. Coming and going as you please, not a single thought about anybody else apart from your self." A muscle in Marcus' cheek twitched as she spoke, but he kept his cool.

"Its not as if we have a choice. Anyway, we have a right to use this colony under EUF rules and regulations." Marcus tried to argue, but Kriss just ignored him.

She was no older than he was, about fifteen or sixteen with blonde hair, stood there in a brown coat looking at the Red Orb mobile suit. Her face was quite pretty, even with the angry look she wore. He noticed eyes a strange shade of orange.

-----

Lights blinked continuously around on the walls of the outer level in Heliopolis. The dim corridors were lit up by a flash of light every now and then thanks to those small devices. A timer could be seen on each of them, displaying a countdown clock.

Time Remaining: **00:03…00:02…00:01…00:00 **

**-----**

The floor of the complex shook violently throwing everyone in the hanger bay off balance.

Marcus wondered what the hell was going on as he helped Kriss to her feet. As soon as she was stood up, Kriss shook her shoulders and shrugged Marcus off her and began to walk towards two men standing by the other two Orb mobile suits.

Without warning, the sound of machine gun fire filled the air.

A large group of ZAFT soldiers positioned themselves at the entrance to the hanger bay. They threw grenades and fired machine guns into the hanger indiscriminately.

Marcus grabbed Kriss' arms and dived behind a container and a few seconds later they were joined by a man who wore a Nord Industries uniform. He reached for his own gun and fired back at their attackers from the side, while the man fired from the top. When he emptied the magazine, Marcus turned back around to reload. What he saw next almost made him sick.

The man was lying on the floor with a blood stained hole in his forehead. His eyes were still open, filled with the shock that he was hit. Kriss was frozen in fear, staring at the dead body.

"Snap out of it!" He shouted at her while tugging at her arm, but she wouldn't move.

"He…He was the pilot of the Red Frame…How could this happen…"

"Stop muttering and get over it! Oh f it." Marcus emptied another round at the ZAFT attackers and made a break for it towards the remaining GAT Gundams.

_She'd be safe if she stayed behind that container._ He thought as he leaped behind another container.

-----

Alarms rang throughout the Albion's corridors. Its captain wasn't pleased with the fact that ZAFT had launched their MS or reports that there was a large hole on the side of the colony.

"There's 4, no, 5 MS approaching! Bearing 095, elevation 40. Distance 200km!" The ensign sitting at sensors and communications shouted the information to no one in particular; hoping that who ever need it, heard her.

"Damn those Coordinators…" The captain growled, "Take the Albion out, quarter thrust. Prepare to launch Captain Garland's squadron. Arm mega particle cannons and AA cannons. Ensign, where are those damn Titans?"

"The explosions damaged the port on the other side of the colony. Their ship or suits can't get out without risking damage to the colony. The colony security are all engaged in trying to control the interior damage."

_Looks like we're on our own. Heh, we'll show ZAFT and the Titans who's better._

Fuel pipes and electrical leads that were just connected to the Albion's hull all simultaneously disengaged and began to flail around in the 0-gravity conditions. The Albion glided out lazily into open space.

As soon as the battleship was clear of the colony, a hatched opened onto top of each of the leg-like extensions, protruding out in front of the ship then extending forwards to form a sort of runway. Two lime green Jegan appeared through the opening where the hatches were; slowly being lifted up onto the runway platform. Walking forwards, the Jegans put their feet into a pedal and they locked into place with a large clunk. Of course you could not hear it in space.

You are clear to launch was what the pilots heard in their headsets when they are suddenly flung forwards, propelling their mobile suit into space. As the first two Jegans were launched, another Jegan and the Moebius Zero were lifted up through the hatch.

"Enemy incoming at point Bearing 095, elevation 40, distance 150km." A female operator reported over to Sieg as he closed the visor on his helmet to prevent glare from the sun. "You are clear to launch. Good hunting sir." As soon as she finished, Sieg's Moebius Zero was catapulted forwards into space at a tremendous speed. The G-forces forced him back into his seat, but he soon got used to it. Turning on his engines to aid with the acceleration, he and his wingman soon caught up with the two Jegans that launched before them.

"Alright, guys. Standard V-formation" Sieg talked into his headset through the buzzing communications channel to the three Jegans. "Divide and conquer strategy. We'll take them out one by one and–" He instinctively moved his joystick to the left for no odd reason. As his Moebius Zero turned, a missile flew past the belly of the mobile armour. In the distance several blue, glowing speaks could be seen. It was the ZAFT GINN type mobile suits.

"Heads up, people! Four GINNs incoming!" He shouted to his wing-men as they approached the enemy.

-----

The container Marcus just dived behind already had occupants. The two men taking cover there wore civilian clothing, but they were shooting at the ZAFT soldiers, so this was the enemy of my enemy is my friend situation. Over the drone of gunfire, Marcus managed to make out what seemed like an argument between them.

"Great, this your fault you know that don't you, Kuro? Every single time you manage to convince me that going on a mission with you is a good idea! But look at where its gotten ME!" The man with brown hair shouted to the oriental man next to him. He stood up and fired several shots at the ZAFT soldiers before ducking quickly to avoid a hail of bullets. "You're a jinx, Kuro! Ever since the start of this I knew something bad was going to happen! You attract danger to yourself and you know it!"

"How is that my fault? I can't help it if that kind of stuff happens to me. Anyway, I thought you liked adventure, Terrance." The man named Kuro yelled back. "I wish I had a camera with me. The look you had when the shooting began was priceless!"

"Oh shut up, Kuro. We're middle aged. During the Zeon War, this kind of stuff was OK, but we're thirty for goodness sakes!" The other man, Terrance, shouted back bitterly, "Seriously, we need to find Miss Sampson. If she's been injured or dead, the president's gonna kill us!" He turned around only to find Marcus sitting right by him.

Surprised, Terrance swung his gun to Marcus' head. He was about to pull the trigger until he saw the Titan uniform.

"Dammit, don't sneak up on me like that!" He lowered his gun, "Where the hell are your people? Don't you have some MS stored on the colony?"

"I don't know." Marcus shouted back to him, the entire hanger bay shook as several grenades exploded near them. "I don't know where they are. You're Orb personnel, right? Get to your mobile suits. I'll have to take a GAT unit to stop them!"

"Fine! You go first, we'll cover you!" Kuro and Terrance fired their guns back at ZAFT, giving Marcus chance to run over to the closest Gundam

As he ran, Marcus saw several green-uniformed ZAFT soldiers run into the hanger bay followed by a red-uniformed one. But as soon as they entered, the Orb defenders riddled their bodies with bullets.

He ran and ducked as he made his way across the hanger, several times jumping behind a container just in time as bullets flew his way, his heart beating at an incredible speed. Finally he managed to clambering up onto the GAT Gundam's chest, opening the cockpit. Before he climbed in, he noticed a shadow in the Gundam's armour. Spinning around, Marcus pointed his gun at the person's head.

Looking carefully at his enemy, Marcus' eyes widened in shock.

-----

_Do you like Torii? _

_Yeah, it great._

_It's a shame that you have to leave._

_I wouldn't if my parent's didn't have to move._

_Listen, even if we are apart, we'll be friends no matter what._

_Friends._

_Look after Torii._

_I will. See you around, Ryan._

_Yeah, see ya, Marcus._

-----

Inside his Moebius Zero, Sieg was having trouble keeping up with a new red mobile suit. His computer registered it as the Gerbera Tetra and now he knew exactly whom he was fighting.

It moved at an incredible speed. It was able to turn on a dime, even if the suit was designed during the post-Zeon war period. Sieg knew that this person was an extremely skilled pilot. With her superior suit and Newtype powers, he'll probably lose, just like last time.

Sieg's squadron had already eliminated three of the GINNs, but when the Gerbera Tetra arrived, it eliminated two of the Jegans with a single burst from its rifle. With only the one wingman left, Sieg had to leave him to deal with the remaining GINN while he fought the new foe.

The GINN and the Jegan were two specks of light in the distance, dancing like fireflies in the darkness, leaving streaks of engine exhaust behind them. They looked so insignificant in the vastness of space, and yet, it was the most important battle of their lives, for it could be their last.

The Moebius Zero was a large space fighter, which wasn't as manoeuvrable as his enemy, soon began to feel at a disadvantage. The large gunbarrels separated off from the main hull of the Moebius Zero via commands from Sieg's mind; they flew off in four different vectors, but all the time pointing towards the red mobile suit. When they got close, two small turrets appeared on the flat faces of the cylinder, firing volleys of beams. The beams appeared as bright yellow darts, flying in groups towards their foe. They all missed. Bursts of green pillars of energy, flew out from the Moebius Zero's Linear Gun mounted underneath its body, but that mobile suit evaded and turned, making it look all so easy to dodge Sieg's attacks.

_She's good, maybe even better. _Sieg thought.

A thought suddenly appeared in his mind and it wasn't his own.

_Glad you think so._

The voice was female, although she sounded rather cute to Sieg, but an immediate wave of fear and hate washed over him. The image of a masked woman appeared in his consciousness. It was her alright, Dena Nadist.

He remembers fighting the red mobile suit during the first battle against a surprise ZAFT attack on the EUF Acteria Moon Installation. Hatred built up inside Sieg as the memory of the Gerbera Tetra destroying most of the 1st Mobile Armour Squadron. He tried to keep his mind concentrated on the battle at hand, but her voice was extremely distracting. Focusing only on his own thoughts and the need to destroy this ZAFT mobile suit, he pulled the trigger on his joystick several more times.

_Why are you fighting with these Oldtypes? All they do is just use you._

The Gerbera Tetra suit suddenly spun around and its green monoeye sensor glowed in its neck less head. Raising the large rifle it carried, the mobile suit fired out a hail of beam shots at the Moebius Zero. Sieg veered off to the right quickly, managing to avoid most of the beams. A few stray ones struck his engines while he turned.

Although the beams only glanced the engines, Sieg knew that those mega particles that made up that beam would have made millions of tiny holes on the engine. Sure enough entire cockpit shook as an engine exploded, flinging him from side to side. On board air cushions automatically activated, preventing him from head-butting the display boards and controls around him. The Moebius Zero's speed decreased dramatically, unable to keep up with the enemy.

_Like you can talk, Dena._

Sieg returned a thought. It was a strange way of communicating, but it was possible between Newtypes who shared a strong mental link.

_You're just like me. ZAFT's using you to fight their war._

_Oh Sieg, you are so naïve. You still haven't changed since you were still little._

Though it was just a thought, Sieg felt that there was something else about her that she wasn't revealing to anyone.

_You should join me. We Newtypes must watch out for ourselves in this world of Coordinators and naturals. After all, we are family._

He heard bloodcurdling scream from his wingman and saw two bright yellow balls of flames illuminate the space where the GINN and the Jegan was fighting.

The Jegan pilot had severely damaged the GINN by sticking the beam sabre into the GINN's side. The ZAFT pilot decided that he wasn't to die alone and ploughed his overloading unit straight into the Jegan. The resulting explosion from the mini-nuclear engine destroyed them both.

Smoke flew out of Sieg's engines and the displays in from of him told him that they were almost useless. Looking back around, he saw the red mobile suit speed past him at a tremendous speed, heading directly towards the Albion.

_NO! You stay away from the Albion!_

Sieg tried to swing his mobile armour around, but the resulting strain forced him back into his seat, almost making him faint.

_I'll demonstrate to you how weak the people you fight with really are!_

Sieg tried to catch up to it with his damaged engines, but the strain on them was too much and black smoke belched out of them. There was still inertia carrying him forwards, but there was no way that he could stop her now.

A single Orb Colony Security green and grey Gelgoog Marine had joined the Albion providing it with some protection, but it was no match for Dena's Gerbera Tetra. Her rifle just ripped through the mobile suit, killing an inexperienced pilot instantly.

He watched in horror as the red mobile suit dodged past the Albion's Vulcan machinegun fire. Several rounds did hit its torso, but it just continued forwards as if nothing has happened.

-----

On the bridge of the Albion, her crew were working hard trying to provide the colony, its mobile suits and her captain with up-to-date information about the unfolding battle. Her captain sat in his chair deciding whether he should move the Albion away from the colony and towards the Nazca cruiser.

However ever since the fifth ZAFT mobile suit appeared on their sensors, the battle has not been progressing well. With only a single Gelgoog Marine from the colony security, the captain's only choice was to sit back and watch the Moebius Zero fight with the Gerbera Tetra.

"Captain, the Gerbera Tetra's heading straight for us!"

"WHAT?" The captain exclaimed, "All AA cannons target the enemy mobile suit!"

Within a few seconds, the Gerbera Tetra's rifle ripped apart the Gelgoog Marine protecting the Albion. The explosion shook the bridge while pieces of debris pinged off the hull.

"Helm, 90 degrees starboard! Get our side facing the mobile su-"

The captain didn't finish his sentence because now the Gerbera Tetra's monoeye was staring directly at him. The bridge crew didn't have time to scream as Dena plunged her suit's hand into the bridge, crushing everyone inside.

After that easy victory, Dena fired a burst of beams at the Albion's engines. The armour surrounding the port engine swelled and burst into flames. The explosion didn't destroy the ship, but sent the Albion hurtling towards the colony.

_I'll leave you to rethink your loyalties lie, Sieg. You're always welcome to join me._

Sieg wanted to go after Dena's Gerbera Tetra as it entered the colony, but his Moebius Zero's engines were totally wreaked and it was drifting further and further away from Heliopolis. He was exhausted from the battle. He felt the cockpit dim around him as the Moebius Zero drifted further and further away.

"No…"

-----

A female voice boomed through the various loudspeakers around the colony, advising its citizens to take shelter. There was no one on the streets, but the sound of explosions and guns firing filled the air. A small group of Titan security personnel and ZAFT soldiers in red and green space suits were fighting between three trucks that were carrying the GAT mobile suits. The two groups were in a stalemate.

Through the hole in the colony, the Gerbera Tetra swooped in. Reloading its beam rifle, it fired several small bursts of beams at the Titan defenders. They were wiped out instantly. With the Titans dead, three soldiers in the red uniforms ran quickly to the trucks and climbed into the undefended GAT units.

Two oddly dressed men were at the top of the highest artificial hill in Heliopolis. One of them, wearing a long blue jacket, sat observing the battle inside the colony through a pair of binoculars. The other man, in a white suit with his hands in the trousers pockets, stood looking through the large colony length window above them at the battle outside. Apart from their choice of fashion, they looked almost identical.

_These Oldtypes haven't learnt a thing have they? _

_It would seem like it._

The man in the coat put the binoculars into his large coat pocket and walked down the hill. The other guy continued to look up at the battle in space for a few more seconds, before he left to join his companion.

-----

The three GAT units now with ZAFT pilots sat up on their transports and slowly stood up. The grey armour on all three shimmered and fluctuated revealing a much more brighter armour. Activating the thrusters on their backpacks, the mobile suits jumped into the air, and headed out of the hole in the colony.

"Ryan?" Marcus thought he has seen a ghost. They stood there looking at each other for what seemed like an eternity. He was in a Nord Industries engineer jumpsuit. So the guy from before _was_ Ryan.

The boy, no older than Marcus, was in shock too, but he came to his senses quickly and jumped away from Marcus. Marcus shouted at Ryan, asking him to come back, but he ignored him as he ran towards the remaining GAT mobile suit. As Marcus turned, he saw another Nord Industries engineer run up the GAT Gundam's leg, he had a gun and was pointing it at Marcus.

Rolling over sideways, Marcus fired two shots at the engineer without even stopping to think for he instinctively knew that the person was an enemy. The two bullets hit the guy in the chest and he collapsed and tumbled off the Gundam.

Marcus opened up the hatch on the Gundam's chest slid down into its cockpit. Marcus sat alone in the darkness, fumbling around with several buttons, a single screen activated in front of him.

**T.T/N.I.H.M.M.S (Titan Tactical/Nord Industries High Mobility Mobile Suit) **

**STRIKE GUNDAM**

The main viewer before him lit activated and lit up the entire cockpit, showing him what was going on outside.

"Three minutes before Operating System finishes initial activation sequence..." Marcus mumbled. There was nothing he could do now except watch as the events unfold before him.

Bringing across the keyboard behind him, Marcus began tapping at the keys. Several mini screens appeared on the main viewer, showing different views from around the colony. The Astrays that were standing at the walls of the hanger bay began to move out of their steel maintenance bays. Flicking a switch to his right, Marcus turned on his laser radio to hear what was going on.

"Kriss!" It was the Japanese man called Kuro, "Get out of the Red Frame, NOW!"

"The pilot's dead, Kuro. I can't just stand here and watch while you guys risk your lives! I'll be fine. You trained me in MS combat. You can't stop them in just the Gold Astray, even with Terrance in the Blue Astray helping." Kriss replied.

"That's not the point! This isn't the simulator, this is real life. Now ge-" He was cut off as the GAT mobile suit that Ryan ran to began to stand up. The phase-shift armour activated, changing its dull grey armour into mauve, almost pink colour. There were various spikes protruding from its body, making it look very awkward.

"OK, fine." Kuro's Gold Astray turned to the Blue Astray and the Red Astray, "We've got to stop that mobile suit!"

_Ryan, what are you doing?_ He thought as he watched as the three mobile suits closed in on the pink unit. The sensor on his viewer displayed Ryan's unit, the Aegis Gundam.

**Two Minutes Until Activation**

The roof of the hanger bay suddenly began to collapse, raining debris onto those who were still on the ground. A hail of beams rained down on the Astrays from the colony's sky. It was the Gerbera Tetra.

Kuro's Gold Astray went to pursue the Ryan's Aegis Gundam. Charging forwards, it unconnected a large pole from the backpack, as the he brought it to its side, a green blade of pure energy extended forth. Swinging it around, Kuro hoped that he would catch the pilot off-guard. The Aegis Gundam just shifted its body to the left to allow the Gold Astray to charge harmlessly past it.

Using its booster verniers to spin around 360 degrees, Kuro went around for another strike. This time, Ryan activated the Aegis Gundam's own beam sabre and blocked the attack. Both pilots pushed their mobile suits to the limit, hoping to overwhelm their opponent. Both mobile suits were evenly matched. Eventually, repelling effect of the beam energy became too much for both pilots to handle and both mobile suits jumped away from each other.

On the other side of the, now levelled, hanger bay was Terrance's Blue Astray and Kriss's Red Astray. They were having a difficult time with the Gerbera Tetra that was circling around them in the air. Green pillars of light flew out of their rifles into the sky, with the beams disappearing and dissipating as it went further out, but none hit their target. He was surprised that none of the ZAFT suits had fired at him so far.

Must be because they think that their other guy's in here

**One Minute Until Activation**

As if on cue, both the Aegis Gundam and the Gerbera Tetra went on the offensive.

Aegis charged forwards with its beam sabre and swung it at the Gold Frame. Kuro, thinking that it was going to strike for his cockpit, turned the Gold Frame and jabbed his beam sabre towards the Aegis, hoping to parry the strike. The Aegis suddenly stopped its slash in mid-swing, activated its boosters and slammed into Kuro. Though both suits didn't suffer any damage, the Gold Frame was thrown off its feet and crashed into a block of flats nearby, knocking Kuro unconcious.

Meanwhile, one of the beams from the Gerbera Tetra mobile suit struck the Blue Frame's beam rifle. Terrance managed to get rid of it just in time before it exploded, but the shock from the explosion pushed the Blue Frame backwards. It stumbled along the ground before it falling over.

The ZAFT mobile suit circled around for another pass, while avoiding the streaks of beam fire from Kriss's Red Astray. A single beam struck the Gerbera Tetra's right shoulder thrusters. Smoke pumped out of the shoulder vernier's nozzle as the Gerbera Tetra tried to keep balance. The woman's thoughts slipped into Marcus' mind again.

_Now, you die_

Throwing away the beam rifle, Dena activated her beam sabre and dived down from the sky and landed right next to the Red Astray. Marcus heard Kriss scream through the communications channel.

**RECHARGE COMPLETE: STRIKE GUNDAM READY FOR USE**

The Strike Gundam rose from its transport. Its armour fluctuated to change its armour to white and blue. Pressing several buttons by his left hand to find the weapons for Strike. The words **Armour Schneider Assault Knives** appeared on the screen. Grabbing the small knives that were stored in the Gundam's legs, Marcus pushed down on the foot pedals and the Strike Gundam charged straight at the Gerbera Tetra.

Dena was so preoccupied with the Red Astray, she failed to notice the Strike Gundam. It slammed the knives into the Gerbera Tetra's shoulder joints from the back; sparks flew out from the deep wound and its arm drooping to its sides, dropping the beam sabre.

Seeing that he could win this, Marcus fired off the Vulcan machineguns on the side of the Strike Gundam's head hoping to do more damage. But the Dena activated the Gerbera Tetra's backpack boosters in the Strike Gundam's face, pushing Marcus away from her. Before he had any idea what was going on, Dena's damaged Gerbera Tetra already took off towards the hole in the colony wall. Taking several steps backwards, Marcus watched as Ryan's Aegis Gundam transform into a claw like mobile armour in mid-air and boosted out of the colony into open space.

"RYAN! WHY ARE YOU WITH ZAFT?" he shouted to the Aegis using the international communication channel, hoping his old friend would speak to him, but there was no reply.

Hoping that he could catch Ryan with the Strike Gundam, Marcus pushed down on the foot pedals.

**WOMP!**

The entire colony shook again. But this time, the entire mirror side of the colony shattered as what remained of the battleship Albion careened into it. The remaining atmosphere within the colony was sucked straight out into space while the remaining parts of the colony began to split.

Large cracks appeared in the floor, swallowing the buildings. The four mobile suits that remained were all sucked into the air when the atmosphere vented. Kuro's Gold Frame Astray and Terrance's Blue Frame Astray were sucked out into open space like all the other debris, but the Strike Gundam and the Red Frame Astray were still active, both firing their boosters trying to fight the force of the air currents.

"Kriss!" Marcus shouted and reached the Strike Gundam's hand towards her Astray.

Kriss was hesitant at first, but seeing that Marcus was the only one left, she reluctantly reached out the Astray's hand and grabbed on. Under the thrust of both suit's verniers, they boosted out of the disintegrating colony.

As they exited the colony, they were met by the Alexandria-Class Titan battleship, Severn.

"And they show up now…" Marcus grunted angrily.

-----

"What do you mean ZAFT's taken the GAT series mobile suits!" A man shrouded in shadows jumped up off his seat a large office. The office was completely black, apart from the large computerised atlas of the world behind him. The area which still belonged to Earth was in blue and ZAFT territory was in red. The man slumped back down into his large chair and sighed.

"Send the Severn after them. We can't let ZAFT get to Earth with those things." He put his receiver down and spun around to his desk.

"Why does this have to happen now?"

The large screen behind him suddenly changed, this time the remaining blue in Egypt disappeared and were replaced by red.


	5. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Meteor That Streaked Through The Sky**

'_Some believe space to be a symbol of hope for a new life when the colony project first began; to allow people to live in artificial satellites and in new environments. It has become a home to those who live in these new habitats, a new beginning, to restart their lives and to live in peace and harmony with those around them. The Earth is a blue pearl in the vastness of space. As humans, we have a want for peace, but our own nature forbids us to achieve that goal.' _

_'Throughout history, humans have fought and killed each other for land, money, beliefs and for what they hold dear. Nothing can change how we act and think; it is built into our genes. Selfishness and an insatiable want for more have held humans back from their destination of harmony. But I realise now that we can discard those ideals which hold us back.'_

'_The people who first left voluntarily for the colonies allowed their minds and hearts to be freed from the restraints of gravity. It allowed them to be able to see, truly see.'_

_'They saw past their own limitations, they saw past their hatred and selfishness. They were the first true Newtypes. They were able to cast aside these useless things and gain a new understanding of the world, of humans, even of life itself. Their minds surpassed their own dreams and moved into the next step of human evolution.'_

_'Yet there are still those who remained continue to plunder the beautiful blue planet.'_

'_I cannot force mankind to leave Earth. No one can. But the will to accept that humans must leave Earth, to allow Mother Nature to recover and regain her beauty is the first step to true evolution, to a true understanding of nature and what it has given to us. So I implore you, people of Earth, cast off the chains of gravity that has kept you on Earth, cast off those ideals that have held you back from your destiny.'_

Those were the words written by the late philosopher, named Zeon Zum Deikun, who campaigned peacefully for the independence of the colonies and also advocated the Newtype phenomena. These thoughts and ideas gave hope to those who lived in the hardships of outer space. But these words also began the Zeon War and wiped out half the human race.

The teenager, in a white normal suit, shut the book as he finished reading that passage. His eyes were dark and vacant, without feeling.

The cockpit controls hummed and beeped around him, as the giant blue orb called Earth loomed closer and closer. His shuttle was small compared to the commercial shuttles, but apart from that, it was perfectly normal.

Switching on the monitor above him, an old man, wearing a pair of goggles appeared on the screen and began talking. He had heard the recording for the twentieth time, but his mind was still conflicted.

"Operation Meteor is now in your hands. Do not follow the original plan. I know this is not what you have been trained for, but Operation Meteor cannot be allowed to take place. I have several jobs for you to do once you reach Earth, but after that, you're free to chose your own Destiny, Syuu." The old man said to the teenager, Syuu. Though the man's eyes were hidden behind a pair of goggles that made him look like a cyborg, but other than that, he seemed like a regular old man talking to his grandson.

"I took away your childhood to train you for the operation, now I know it was a mistake." The old man tilted his head forwards, ashamed, "I can't ask for your forgiveness Syuu, but know this: even if you are an orphan, I consider you my grandson. So be careful. It's parent's nightmare to outlive their children. Heh." His half-hearted laugh was a poor attempt at humour. If it were a normal human being watched that video, they would be moved, even saddened by the old man's honesty and sincerity. But Syuu did not understand.

_Why, Professor? Why are you doing this?_

"Oh, don't lose the Wing Gundam. It took me months to build from the GAT project blue prints that the Titans were working on. I don't want to have to go through that again. Though it lacks the phase-shift armour that the GAT Gundams have, but yours should be just as strong. It should withstand even _your_ destructive nature." The screen flickered and turned itself off.

_Let my heart guide me? What about my orders? How should I carry out my mission? What is my mission?_

A frantic beeping on the sensor panel alerted Syuu of him two rapidly approaching bogies. As if waking up from a dream Syuu sat up suddenly and took over control from the computer. His main monitor picked up two Oz Prize Taurus mobile suits, in mobile armour mode. The black fighters were faster than him and were gaining on him, fast.

To make things worse another dot, a MS carrier, also appeared on the imagining sensors.

-----

Before the war with the Principality of Zeon, the United Nations wasseen as incompetent but there was no one bold enough to stand up to its overwhelming military might. It was also riddled with internal conflicts as politicians often pursued their own personal agendas rather than for the good of the countries that they represented. If anything good can be said about the Zeon War was that it brought unity to the United Nations with each member focusing on the single task of protecting the planet against the Zeon threat. When Zeon surrendered to the United Nations, the infighting began yet again. This time, however, the conflicts between the representatives escalated into full scale war and the mass exodus of all members from the United Nations.

Soon chaos spread across the entire planet but the colonies were spared. Five years into what was know as World War III several counties banded together to form new alliances. They called themselves Titans and Oz. The Titans were mostly countries from the American continent and African continent while Oz was made up of European and several Asian countries.

Finally, in CY 085, with help from the pooled military might of the Titans, Oz and other smaller countries, peace returned to the blue planet. The major governments felt that it would be best that a new United Nations was set up in order to improve relations between the newly formed countries and thus the Earth United Federation was born. With the creation of this new United Nations, the Earth United Federal Forces was set up, with civilian volunteers from each country forming the EUFF and only answered to the EUF council while each of the new countries kept their own militaries.

-----

It had been a good day for Vionne Temps and Alden Campbell. Not only were they promoted; they also received a pay rise and also twenty extra shore leave days. This was quite possibly the best patrol they have ever been on.

"Yo! Alden!" Vionne called to his squad mate from the cockpit of the Taurus mobile suit, "What are you gonna do with your extra time off?"

"I don't know. Probably head back to Earth and visit the folks." Vionne pushed a few buttons and realigned his targeting sensors.

_Beep_

"Huh? Stupid thing." Vionne kicked the panel below the sensor.

_Beep_

"Oh come on." He kicked it again but the beeping continued, "Hey, Alden, you picking up something on your sensor? Its at 232 elevation minus 40?"

"Yeah, I see it. Man that thing's fast for a shuttle." Alden replied, "Wait, what the hell is a civilian shuttle doing out here?"

A year ago the EUF, under pressure from Oz and the Titan governments, approved a legislation prohibiting all civilian intercolony travel. While vital resources, such as food and fuel, are free to be moved between colonies, but all trade and migration were halted. The following recession and lack of freedom slowly built up within the hearts of the colonists and they rebelled.

"No idea, but that guy's not going anywhere other than jail today."

Both Taurus suits pushed their engines to the limit so that they could catch up to the shuttle. As they pulled alongside it, they realised that the shuttle was tiny compared to regular ones. Plus, its design was irregular and neither of them recognised the make.

"Strange…" Vionne wondered out loud. There had been rumours going around the base that the rebel underground was sending some kind of secret weapon to Earth. Could this be it? He wasn't going to take any chances.

"This is Oz patrol 252, you're ordered to stop and surrender your vessel. I repeat, you are to stop and surrender your vessel. We will use force to if it becomes necessary."

-----

"Damn, can't out run them with this outer armour. Can't waste the buster rifle rounds on these two rookies either." Syuu cursed softly afterwards as he watched the Taurus mobile suits slowly move by the Wing Gundam's side. Deciding that it would be futile to continue their little race, he slowed the Wing Gundam and stopped.

_Now to see if these two grunts have any skills or not._

_-----_

Seeing that the shuttle slowed to a halt, Alden and Vionne transformed their Taurus into mobile suit mode. Their dark armour reflected the sun's light, making them look like two giant spectres. Vionne moved in front of the shuttle while Alden stayed behind it, blocking any chance of a quick escape.

"Good. This is gonna be easier than I thought." Vionne pulled on the arm control lever and pointed the Taurus' large beam rifle at the shuttle, "You in the shuttle, prepare to be boarded."

"Go to hell." Syuu said back as he pushed down on one of the buttons on the mobile suit controls.

Two metal panels suddenly ejected off, revealing a missile pod underneath. A pair of small missiles flew straight at the Taurus.

"What the hell-" Vionne tried to react, but it was too late. The missiles impacted squarely on the Taurus' cockpit hatch, but instead of exploding they emitted a blinding flash of light.

The signal flares blinded Vionne and Alden, were completely dazzled by the light. The Taurus suits were like lost children; their pilots blind and most of their instruments jammed due to the extreme exposure to light and the sudden impact. They were completely harmless and totally exposed to an attack.

"Dammit!" Alden yelled out. He tried to check his sensors, but the stars in front of him were blocking his vision. He thought he was going to die.

-----

After the impact, Syuu pulled back on the joystick and the Wing Gundam flew past the two blinded Taurus suits, back on course for Earth. He reset his sensors again to compensate for the electromagnetic interference. Not surprisingly, the MS carrier that he saw early on was right behind him. A single message automatically appeared in the Syuu's monitor:

**HEAD FOR ST HELENA**

**-----**

On board the Oz MS carrier, Major James Harris sat in front of two of the most promising pilots of the Oz Mobile Suit Corp: First Lieutenant Vincent de la Norrio and First Lieutenant Richard de la Bretonne. The two pilots were from different families, but they saw each other as brothers or as some would say, blood brothers.

The two men, both in their early twenties, were being assigned to Barge space fortress while testing out two brand new type of mobile suit, the Geminass. Both units were on board with his Tallgeese. The specifications of the two units were identical except unit 01 was white and 02 was dark blue. The thing that sets the units apart from normal Leos and his Tallgeese was not the Gundarium armour, but their PX system. Designed to fully utilise a pilots' adrenaline rush during battle and uses increases the mobile suit's functions accordingly, maximising performance.

James sat there in silence pondering over the Geminass' mechanics while he tried to drown out the drone of chatter from Vincent and Richard behind him. He was a lone wolf who didn't care for relationships or socialising. His mind was analytical and cunning, able to adapt to any situation and it was that which made him one of the best pilots in Oz.

The cockpit cabin door swung open and the co-pilot stepped out.

"Major Harris, there's an unidentified civilian shuttle ahead of us. I think you should take a look at this sir."

As James stood up, he noticed that both men behind him have stopped chatting and were looking up at him, wondering what the co-pilot meant. It has been rumoured that a group, who calls themselves the AEUG, were sending highly advanced mobile suits to Earth; Operation Meteor the report called it.However the report also indicated the likely hood of another colony drop, hence the name. One of James' principles was never to believe in rumours. But it would seem that, for once, his principles were wrong.

Stepping into the cockpit, the co-pilot showed him a visual scan of the shuttle.

"Hmm…looks like an advanced fighter…" James mumbled to himself, "But the wings makes it look like it's able to transform. What are those two dots behind it?"

"Those? They're Taurus suits, probably a patrol from Barge." The pilot answered.

James watched as the three dots stop on the sensor. All of a sudden, two flares lighted up the entire area ahead of them.

_Clever, he doesn't want to expose his unit to combat so he used flares to blind the Taurus. Could make a worthy foe._

"What was that flash?" The pilot called Vincent walked into the cockpit.

"A civilian shuttle just gave two Taurus the slip." The pilot reported, "What do you want us to do major?"

James stood there for a few seconds analysing the situation. The corner of his mouth twitched, it was a smile but it existed for only a microsecond. He knew that the pilot of the shuttle was no ordinary person, no normal person would think of that kind of tactic.

"I'm launching with my Tallgeese. Tell the re-entry capsule to meet me at point 090-322." James turned and walked out of the cockpit.

"Sir, let me and Richard go with you. We'll stan-" James raised his hand and cut Vincent off.

"You two need to get Geminass to Barge as soon as possible. Those were your orders. Don't worry about me, no one has been able to beat me and I'm sure as hell not going to let some shuttle take me down."

"Fine." Vincent respected the Major Harris but he always thought that the Major was a wildcard who was able to do whatever he wanted.

-----

"You're clear to launch, Major."

"Roger that." The clamps that held the white roman-like mobile suit flew backwards, sending it flying out of the small hanger. James activated the large booster verniers on the back of his mobile suit and shot forwards.

As he closed in on the fighter, he noticed that it resembled a lot like a bird. James brought around the giant metallic bazooka rifle that was attached to one of the boosters of the Tallgeese and fired a shell at the fighter.

Surprised that the fighter didn't dodge the bazooka round, the shell impacted on one of the wings, sending flames and smoke everywhere. James thought that hit would have destroyed it, especially with the grey armour on the shuttle coming off. But what he saw was the true form of Wing Gundam, a bird like fighter.

Worrying slightly, he fired off another shell at the enemy.

-----

_So, they sent the legendary Major after me. Suppose my cover's been blown._

Syuu was thrown around in his cockpit when the shell smashed into the Wing Gundam, the beeping told him that wing engine 2 was hit and the extra weight of the camouflage was slowing him down. Ejecting the armour, the Wing Gundam suddenly accelerated to a tremendous speed, but with the damaged engine Syuu still couldn't outrun the Tallgeese. Cursing under his breath, he avoided the next shell and decided that he needs to take care of this before it was too late.

Another message appeared on his monitor, Syuu had no idea who's sending them but he suspected it was Professor B.

**SAVE YOUR BUSTER RIFLE ROUNDS. YOU'LL NEED THEM TO TAKE OUT THE OZ BASE ON ST HELENA**

_I've got three rounds in the buster rifle._

_Need to save one for the base, so one round to take care of this fool…_

Twisting the joystick, Syuu the Wing Gundam spun around and its buster rifle nose pointing towards the Tallgeese while still travelling at the same speed backwards. Small balls of light began to collect within the nozzle of the buster rifle and a pillar of yellow light shot forth towards James. In anticipation of a miss, Syuu pressed down on the foot pedal and pushing a lever above him, the entire Wing Gundam shook and began to transform.

First to go, it was the head of the fighter. It detached off the main body of the fighter and separated into two parts, a large red shield and a thin rifle with two containers on it. The claws retracted back into the arms and two black hands replaced them. The lower part of the fighter twisted around and clamped down, while a head appeared where the original head of the fighter was. Its wings made it resemble an angel. Its human-like eyes flared with green light as it picked up the shield and the rifle. The mobile suit turned around to face its foe and fired off another pillar of beam energy at James's mobile suit.

-----

James had the nickname of the "Major" for a long time. It was given to him because he had refused to be promoted above the rank of major. He was legendary in the Oz military for it. Most people believe that he did it because he didn't want to upstage his fellow soldiers, but in fact he did it because being promoted to Colonel meant he would not be piloting anymore. Now it was time for him to live up to his reputation.

Before James realised what was going on, a bright flash of beam sped towards him. He was barely able to avoid the pillar of energy as he banked left to dodge it. However, as he avoided the first attack he noticed a second beam emerge out of the now transformed AEUG Gundam. The verniers on the Tallgeese flare to life as James performed a somersault over the oncoming buster rifle shot. If he had reacted slightly later, the bottom half of the Tallgeese would have been caught in the beam and he would have been incinerated instantly.

"So this is what the top-brass call a Gundam." James said to himself. He wondered whether the Geminass units would perform just as well as this unit. If they don't, then Oz is doomed.

_I can't remember I had this much fun. That's it, you're going down._

He promised himself as the Tallgeese threw away the bazooka rifle and unsheathed a beam sabre from its waist. A pink blade of energy extended forth from one end of the sabre, both of the verniers on the Tallgeese flared to life and he charged straight into Syuu's Wing Gundam.

He plunged the beam sabre towards the enemy's cockpit. He was surprised that his enemy was already one step ahead of him. The Wing Gundam's green beam sabre parried James's strike and slashed at back at him. James backed the Tallgeese away to a safe distance.

_This guy's no amateur, able to parry a strike like that and then counterattacking so quickly._

James thought as he boosted forwards for another strike. This time, the lifted the beam sabre and swung it downward, trying to slice the Wing Gundam in half.

The planet Earth was huge and provided a blue and white backdrop for the battle. Both pilots know that if this battle doesn't end soon, they're mobile suits will become barbecued in the atmosphere. Wanting to finish the fight quickly, James dived forwards and rapidly jabbed his beam sabre at the white Gundam.

-----

Syuu was forced into a defensive position. He knew that the Major was good, but he had no idea how good. The Tallgeese dodged two buster rifle shots and now forcing him into a corner. This isn't good. Suddenly an opening appeared.

Just before the Tallgeese plunged its beam sabre downwards, Syuu turned the Wing Gundam to the left while slicing his beam sabre upwards. The move took off the Tallgeese's right arm.

Both suits began to emit a red aura as they began to enter the atmosphere.

Now weapon-less, James had no choice except to retreat, but not before he rams the Tallgeese's feet squarely in the Gundam's chest, sending it into a deadly spiral down to through the atmosphere.

"I'll let the atmosphere finish you." James spat at his foe and took off back into space.

Syuu realised that he was entering the Earth's atmosphere. He was glad to see the enemy move off back into space.

"I refuse to die!" Syuu yelled in his cockpit as he transformed his mobile suit back into the fighter mode and continued to travel down to Earth. The bird-like fighter looked like a meteor as it continued faster and faster down through the atmosphere. The colour in its armour was washed over with red, glowing like a phoenix.

As James looked on, he realised that his was Operation Meteor.

-----

The island of St Helena sat comfortably between the continents of Africa and South America, out in the South Atlantic Ocean. In other words, it was in the middle of nowhere. The location of the island was not strategically important or essential to any of the governments, such as Oz or the Titans. So during the formation of the EUF and marking of new borders, the island was given to Oz as a token of friendship from the Titans. Obviously no one bothered asking the people living on St Helena whether they wanted to govern themselves. So now, instead of just the town of St Helena, a large Oz military base also dominated part of the island. The base destroyed tourism for the island, so a deep sense of resentment dwelled within the resident's heart towards Oz.

Even after the deforestation, the island's ecosystem remained strong. Trees and lush greenery still thrived on the uninhabited parts of the island, providing homes to many hundreds different species of animals, birds and insects. There is a sense of calm and serenity beneath the canopy of trees, but every now and then, the peace is shattered by the thunder of footsteps of dark green Leo mobile suits. They seem clumsier than the other mobile suits used by the EUF, ZAFT or the Titans, since their heads are attached to their shoulders and cannot turn around; but these were definitely easier and cheaper to produce. Though the mobile suits were 16 meters tall, the trees around them still towered over them.

Four Leos made their way through the forest, following a path made by hundreds of patrols before them. There were two standard Leos, Leo Cannon type and leading the way was a customised Leo-N. While the normal Leos walked through the underbrush fine, the Leo-N's gigantic shoulders were having a hard time making it through the trees.

"Captain Schneider," Rafae Miks, one of the standard Leo's pilot spoke through the crackling radio, "Your new Leo's mighty fine and all, but are you sure that its suited for this type of environment?" Another large tree branch slammed into his Leo with a loud clang.

"What are you talking about, Miks?" Captain Mark Schneider's voice sounded rather cheerful through the radio link, "This thing's great! I finally I get some recognition around here." The rest of the team realised that Mark was about to go on another rant and braced their minds for the inevitable boredom.

"To think," Mark continued, "Oz, placing one of their best pilots on this forsaken hell hole. Don't get me wrong, St Helena's a great place, but this place doesn't get its fair share of the action. Come to think of it, this place hasn't had any action period. And to think, they'd place an ace pilot on this dump and give me a team of Leos. What on earth are they thinking? I should be out in Australia leading a real team of soldiers fighting ZAFT." Mark paused for a second. His men thought it was over, but he just started up again.

"Did you hear what they put in my report? I'm too talkative and refuse to listen to other people. What the hell were they thinking? Me? Talkative? HA! The whole lot of them are just a bunch of inbred monkeys who only know how to push pens across a piece of paper. If I get hold of them I'll sho…"

"Hey, Olsen," Marigbo Olwatomi, the pilot of the Leo Cannon, opened up a secure channel to the remaining Leo. Mark Schneider's voice was still droning on in the background, "How about us three, just you, me and Miks get together after the patrol for a game of poker back at base. I'll bring along that female operator in base control you always liked."

"Great! As long as you don't bring Mark its fine with me." Olsen replied.

The four Leos walked into a clearing in the forest. It marked the halfway line of their patrol. The sky was unusually blue and clear that afternoon, but it wasn't abnormal for the island.

As the three Leos left the forest, they stopped in the centre of the clearing. Rafae Mik's Leo was bring up the rear. Mark has stopped speaking as he checked his sensor panel for any unusual readings.

"Hey, Mik! Come on, we've got the other half of the island to cover before dusk." Something was wrong.

The three Leo pilots watched as Mik's Leo left the forest. His Leo gradually slowed down and stopped. It was as if something had grabbed hold of it.

"Sir, my Leo's not moving. Wh-" The transmission was cut short as Mik's Leo split right down the middle and exploding in a flurry of flames.

Seeing this, all three pilots panicked. Firing off their machine guns randomly in the direction of the destroyed Leo. The bullets threw up a curtain of dust and smoke. Screams from one of the two pilots filled Mark's headset.

"STOP FIRING!" Mark shouted to Olsen and Olwatomi and soon the sound of machine gun fire stopped. As the dust settled, only Olwatomi's Leo Cannon and Mark's Leo-N was still standing. Bits of Olsen's mobile suit were strewn across the clearing. It seems that Olsen, an inexperience pilot, panicked and tried to make a run for it, but was struck down by the invisible attacker.

"What the hell is going on here?" Mark muttered to himself as he surveyed his surroundings, finding nothing to suggest what destroyed his men. Dropping the machinegun in the Leo's hand, he decided to defend himself with the standard issue Leo beam sabre. The top half of the torso pivoted around the waist, which made up for the fact that Leo mobile suits had no neck, to allow him to see three hundred and sixty degrees. Both Leos were standing back-to-back.

"Olwatomi, you see anything?"

"Negative. What's attacking us?"

"No idea, but keep your eyes open."

_Where are you…?_ Mark tried to get the thought of death out of his mind and concentrate, but it was very difficult. His eyes shifted from monitor to monitor inside the cockpit, hoping that they will pick up something that will help him. It would seem that his invisible enemy was toying with them both.

Olwatomi tried to keep calm, but it was difficult in such situations where you can't evaluate you're enemy's strengths.

A group of birds flew out from the trees nearby. Both Leos turned towards the noise, but it was not their enemy.

**CLUNK**

_What was that? Did I imagine that or was there actually a clunk right behind me?_ Then out of Mark's peripheral vision, he saw what looked like a black mobile suit, armed with a beam weapon similar to a giant scythe.

"OLWATOMI! JUMP!"

Without questioning why, Marigbo boosted up his Leo's waist boosters and leaped into the air, with the Leo-N following.

A bright yellow streak appeared across the Leo Cannon's legs. If he hadn't jumped, his cockpit would have been sliced in half.

"Dammit!" Mark did something for the first time in his life. He ran away.

Grabbing his last remaining comrade's Leo, Mark pushed his Leo-N's boosters to maximum to gain enough boost to maintain limited flight and fled from the clearing.

The silent assassin's long beam scythe glowed a deadly shade of green; its user, a black gothic Gundam mobile suit. Steam poured out from the yellow chest vents, its eyes glowing inside its dark face.

"Woot! I, Strass Bernard, the just owned your pathetic butts! Pathetic, you hear me? You're pathetic! HA!" Its pilot called out in triumph, "This Hyper Jammer thing works great on Deathscythe! They couldn't even tell where I was! It's great! I still can't believe Dr Z was able to get his hands on those GAT unit's schematics that the Titans was working on." The boy, no older than 17, was clearly talking to himself but he felt like shouting out his experience. His hair was dyed black and his outfit was similar to those of priests, quite fitting for his mobile suit he piloted. When Strass quietened down, he turned to the direction of St Helena's Oz base. Several pillars of smoke rose from it.

"Hmm…controlled burst, 5 seconds. Should give me 15 seconds up in the air…" He mumbled as his foot pressed own on the control pedals, deciding to take a peek. The black Gundam jumped up no less than 100m into the air. Monitors in the Gundam immediately flashed as it detected the battling mobile suits and enlarged their images.

Many of the images that flashed before Strass was the Oz's mobile suits trying to defend the base, but a single attacking mobile suit in the base caught his attention. Both of them was similar to his Gundam, except one was red in colour and it was firing missiles out of every crevice of its body as well as shooting what seems like a gigantic gatling gun mounted on its right arm. Strass whistled to himself, impressed by the machine.

His 15 seconds up, the Gundam Deathscythe descended down into the trees of the island. Strass saw what he wanted to see, but he missed a red dot above the horizon that was heading straight for St Helena.

-----

"Need…to…hang…on…!" Syuu struggled to keep control of the damaged winged fighter. Though he was through the atmosphere, however with the damaged wing engine shedding smoke behind it like blood. The Gundam wasn't cooling down as quickly as he thought. The island was a small speck within the vast blue ocean, but it was getting closer. If Syuu didn't slow down, he'll dive straight into it.

_If I transform Wing to mobile suit mode at this speed it would tear it apart_

Syuu's mind tried to focus, but the heat within the cockpit was intense. Floods of sweat was pouring down his forehead and forming a small puddle at the bottom of his helmet. Pulling hard on the control joystick in his hand, he adjusted his heading but his Gundam had other ideas. An explosion from the damaged wing engine caused it to slowly lose altitude. With the island coming closer and closer he noticed pillars of smoke rising up from the base.

_Must be the others Professor B talked about..._ Syuu decided that there was only one thing to do.

Firing off all of the thrusters in the remaining wing and in the Gundam's foot, which formed the engines at the back of the fighter, Syuu was pressed back into his chair by the G-force. The heat of the cockpit dropping steadily, Syuu felt his entire machine rumble and shake as streaks of yellow light flew at him from the ground. But his speed was so great that the bullets just bounced off.

"Took them long enough to notice me…but now… IT'S TOO LATE!"

Wing was only about 30 meters from the ground as it reached the Oz Prize base on St Helena. Flying over the grey buildings, he pulled hard on the joystick, letting his fighter fly up vertically for 200 meters.

Seeing his speed decrease to 0 from the 180-degree climb, Syuu smiled. Pressing down on one the foot pedals and pushing forwards a lever above him, the entire fighter transformed into mobile suit mode. Pointing his rifle down towards the base, he pulled the trigger.

The Gundam mobile suit saw Syuu's little stunt and used their boosters to jump away from the base, as if knowing exactly what he was going to do. The bright yellow beam slammed down into one of the buildings. The resulting explosion engulfed much of the base.

Syuu laughed. His laughter rang throughout his cockpit. The Wing Gundam, out of control, plummeted down towards the oceans of St Helena.

His training to be the perfect soldier left him with barely any feelings. Syuu felt no remorse, no sadness, no happiness. He wasn't laughing because he liked to kill or enjoy seeing the destruction. He was laughing because it was the only logical thing to do. Laughter was the only thing keeping Syuu sane.

Even after he fainted, the echoes of laughter echoed around his cockpit.

-----

Riken Holm enjoyed tea in the afternoon. As the leader of Oz military, he rarely had time to enjoy the beauty of the greenery that surrounded his mansion in France. He raised the small teacup to his mouth and took a sip. The texture of the tea was perfect.

Birds chirped happily on the trees around the large glass dome that sat in the middle of the garden. There was a sense of calm everywhere around Riken and he felt at peace. He wore a blue caped uniform with gold embroidery on the collar and on the sleeves.

It had been a long day for him, especially the meeting with the head of the Oz Government Council. The Romefeller Foundation, the group who funds the Oz military, was unsatisfied with the progress of Operation Darling. If it wasn't for Riken's speech, the Romefeller Foundation would have cut funding to Oz and use their elite marines, soldiers taken from the Oz military itself, to completed the operation themselves.

_One wonders why they allow senile old men to be in charge of the world..._

A young woman walked up the path towards the glass dome. She was wearing a brown officer's Oz Prize uniform; though her hair was tied back it still fell all the way down to her waist. She knocked on the dome's door before entering.

"Your Excellency," Though Riken was the leader of the Oz military, his subordinates holds him in such high esteem, and they felt it necessary to idolise him, even though he repeatedly told them not to.

"We just receive reports that our base on the St Helena Island has just been attacked and our forces have been basically wiped out. Two mobile suits made it out and most of the base's surviving personnel have escaped on several ships. Two recovery transports have been dispatched." Her mouth twitched as she read the report. There was visible anger on her face, displeased at the fact that an entire base was taken by just 3 mobile suits.

"It seems that they were attacked by advanced mobile suits, called Gundams," She continued, "which were built by a group called the AEUG from the plans of the GAT Project. I'll send out troops to St Helena and de-"

Riken raised his hand and she stopped.

"There's no need, Miss Tyme. It seems that our actors are here to begin the first act." He said. His eyes were shut as he took a sip of he tea.

"Prepare the next step of Operation Darling. It is time for us to invite in our guests."


	6. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Nightmare**

The room around Sieg was dark. A single ray of light shone through the curtains covering the window. The scent of freshly cooked bacon wafted through the jarred door and into Sieg's nose, awaking his senses. His eyes opened. He recognised this place. It was somewhere he has not seen for many years and he cannot believe that it was still standing. Getting out of bed, Sieg noticed something strange. His hands, feet, his entire body was several sizes smaller than before. Wondering to the mirror placed on his old desk, he looked at himself.

Instead of seeing the blonde veteran of the war, he saw a small child. Jumping backwards, Sieg thought it was a trick. How did he go back to be ten years old again? Wasn't he just in his damaged Moebius Zero, floating about in open space? Were all his experiences, all his comrades, the war with ZAFT just a dream?

Rushing down the large marble stairs in his pyjamas, Sieg ran straight into the dining room. It was his father's old mansion, exactly as he remembered it. The suit of armour standing just outside his room like a guardian, the Ming vase sat by the door leading outside, even the family portrait that hung majestically at the top of the stairs so that everyone who entered will be able to see it. His heart was racing as he flung the large wooden door open, hoping to see his mother and father again.

But there was no-one there. He ran to the kitchen to see who was cooking the bacon; an empty room awaited him. Sieg searched room after room but finding nobody. Tears began to form, creating little ripples in the blueness of his eyes.

With all the rooms searched, he decided there was only one place left to look. Pulling hard on the huge handle of the front door that leads outside, the sound of voices and laughter filled his ears. Struggling, he finally managed to swing open the large oak doors and the smell of daffodils swept into the main hall. Looking down onto the floor, Sieg noticed a single daffodil bud by his feet. He remembered how his mother used to love that flower.

His small head peered through the opening. A man and a woman were standing outside. A teenage girl was standing with them, talking and laughing.

"Ah, Sieg, come over here, I'd like to introduce someone to you." The man turned around. His face was cleanly shaved and looked exactly the same as Sieg remembered. His father worked in the field of genetics, and because of his work abroad in England, Sieg lived with his mother in America and rarely saw him. He had never seen the girl before but he felt that he had met her, perhaps in his dreams.

"Come on Sieg, don't be shy." His mother pulled him across to face the girl. Her hair was a pale yellow, almost white. Sieg looked into her deep green eyes, trying to pry the courage from him to say hello. They stood there for a moment, surveying each other.

"Sieg, do you remember I mentioned that you had a sister who was living with your father and helping with his research?" Sieg's mother said. He doesn't remember much since his father hasn't returned home for nearly 2 years, even though he had visited his father's place of work once, he had never seen the girl before.

"Well, this is your sister."

The girl stuck out her hand, a gesture for him to either shake it. He grabbed hold of her hand and shook it, still uncertain of her identity.

"Hi, Sieg." She said, her voice was very soothing but there was something very familiar about it, "My name is…"

Sieg saw her mouth move but nothing was spoken. The silence sent a chill down his spine.

Suddenly everything around him turned to darkness. Fear spread through his entire being, overwhelming his senses. All the time, he heard the girl laughter and the words play through in the background.

He screamed in the darkness, wanting to return to his father. As if someone had been listening to him, he returned to his home. Instead of seeing his mother and father in front of him, the sight of a burning building confronted him. People around him shouted and screamed trying to douse the flames and save the house, but it was already too late.

"Hey! Where's Master Garland?" One of the people shouted.

"He's over here. But Mr and Mrs Garland are still trapped inside! We can't get in; the flames have spread through the entire house! Where are those fire trucks!" Those words sank into Sieg's mind. His parents were dead. Sieg sank to his knees; tears streaming down his cheeks. He screamed out in anguish.

The sound of the girl laughing echoed through his mind as if taunting him.

-----

There was an odd pain in Sieg's left arm as if something was jabbed into it. Struggling to open his eyes, he saw a bright white ceiling above him. Wondering where he was and what the hell is going on, a cleanly shaved man appeared in his field of vision and looked at him.

"I see you're awake, Lieutenant. I was afraid that we'd lost ya." He said a cheerful Scottish Accent

_So all that was just a dream? Go figure…_Sieg thought as he looked around him. Several other beds were in the large room, but all were empty. There was a desk in the corner with a cupboard full of bottles. The room seemed too clean.

Hoping that this wasn't an enemy ZAFT ship, he tried to get up, but his entire body felt heavy and his mind was hazy.

"Whoa," The man, who seemed like the doctor, helped him up, "Take it easy, laddy. You've been out for quite a while. You're body's still weak."

"Where am I?" Sieg asked, "What ship is this?"

"Don't worry, laddy. You're on the EUF ship York," The doctor replied, but he saw a puzzled look on Sieg's face, "EUF? Earth United Federation? Don't tell me you've forgotten your name as well?"

Sieg smiled at the man's joke, but it did put his mind at rest. Now sitting up, he watched the doctor removed the needle that connected his arm to a pack of liquid nutrients and walked away back to his table.

"I've already informed the Captain that you're awake." The doctor said as he sat down, "She should be here in a few moments." The door to the sickbay slid open and a black haired woman walked in.

"I suppose you're an angel?" Sieg asked in a sly voice.

"I'm Captain Rika Matsumoto. I'm captain of the York and second in command of Task Force Londo Bell." She said sharply and clearly.

"Captain Sieg Garland. 1st Tactical Mobile Armour Squadron assigned to the battleship, Albion." Sieg, realising that his joke was entirely inappropriate, tried saluted back, but his armed felt as if they weighed 20 kilograms and so his salute turned into a half-hearted wave instead. "Sorry, Captain."

"That's OK." Captain Matsumoto said as she came over and sat beside his bed, "So, Captain Garland, what happened at Heliopolis?"

Sieg went into a long-winded report on what happed at Heliopolis, how ZAFT had sent in commandos to steal the GAT Units, how the Albion was completely destroyed by one mobile suit and why he was floating alone in space.

"I would like to continue pursuit of the enemy if it is at all possible, Captain." Sieg ended his report.

"I'm afraid that will not be possible." Captain Matsumoto answered, "The Londo Bell Task Force is currently on a mission to find missing civilian and military transports. Twenty two ships and transports have disappeared in this area. We expect something big is going to happen and it might be connected to Zeon."

"Zeon?" He said out in surprise, thinking at the end of the Zeon conflict those people would have left for good. His mind wondered off for a minute and then remembered what he was requesting, "But surely you can spare me a ship, Captain."

"I can't do that. Not until this operation is over. Anyway, you're still weak." She said and looked at the doctor.

"Aye." The doctor, just realising that she was talking to him, "When we found your orange machine we'd thought you'd died from exposure to space. It was amazing that we found you still breathing in your cockpit."

"You see, Captain Garland, the Londo Bell Task Force has already left the Lunar orbit and heading towards Mars. We would need all the firepower we have if there is an attack." She stood up and rearranged her uniform, "You don't look like you will be in any condition to help. Get your rest Captain. We might be in a firefight with what ever destroyed those ships."

The intercom activated in on the panel by the wall and a young man appeared on it.

"M'am, Admiral Londo Bell is on the line. He wishes to speak to Captain Garland."

"Alright," She answered, "Put him through."

The image of the young man disappeared while that of a much older man replaced it. His black beard covered most of his chin and mouth. You can tell that the man commanded authority by just looking at him.

"Ah, Captain Sieg Garland, I trust that Captain Matsumoto's doctor treated you well. Do you mind if I called you Sieg? These military formalities tend to get annoying." His voice was deep and croaky like that of an old man. Usually a beard made you look older but his beard made him look younger than he really was.

"No, please go ahead sir."

"I believe that you have a lot of questions, but I will leave that for Captain Matsumoto to answer, but first I have a favour to ask of you, Sieg."

"What would that be?" Sieg was curious why a Fleet Admiral Bell would be asking him a favour.

"I would like you to command the newly formed 1st Mobile Armour Squadron."

"Excuse me, sir?" Sieg spluttered back in surprise, "There's already a 1st Mobile Armour Squadron."

"Ah. Well I suppose you're confused." A smile appeared on the old man's face. He always admired people with a sense of curiosity, "Ever since the battle of Acteria, which you no doubt remember, the 1st Mobile Armour Squadron was disbanded. Though you kept the name, but the surviving members of the squadron was scattered. Do you know why, Sieg?"

Sieg shook his head.

"It is because those bureaucrats down on Earth are afraid, that's why. They were afraid of your Newtype abilities. They saw what the red mobile suit did to the fleet at Acteria and they got scared. So by separating you, they thought that they would limit the damage if you ever decide to turn on them." The Admiral sounded senile, but there was something about him that made him more than just a crazy man, which could be why he's in charge of a fleet of ships.

"But I think differently, Sieg. I think that you are what the EUF really needs to bring peace. You see I believe what Zeon Zum Deikun said. I know that Newtypes are not weapons of war, but it is only in war your Newtype abilities are able to grow."

"You are still young and full of ideals, yet an old shell of a man like me is in charge of fleets of people like you. I do not see how it's fair for me to decide your future. You Newtypes are the next step in human evolution and I want to give you a chance to prove yourself and preserve yourself." He saw the confused look on Sieg's face and chuckled.

"Youth. Oh what a joy it would be to be young again." That comment reminded Sieg of an old saying: There's a fine line between a genius and a madman; and Admiral Bell was dancing on it.

"Not everyone in my fleet believes what I say, just ask Captain Matsumoto." Sieg had completely forgotten that she was still standing by his bed. He looked up and saw a slightly agitated look on her face, "But the people who serve under me are still willing to lend an ear to what I have to say and I thank them for that. You get some rest. The fleet will be returning to the Earth once the mission is over. Bell out." The screen flickered and went blank.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the sickbay.

"Um…Captain Matsumoto, is Admiral Bell…um…" Sieg tried to find the right words to use but he was struggling.

"Insane? Senile? A sandwich short of a picnic?"

Sieg wanted to agree with what she said, but he was shocked to hear it from her.

"Quite possibly. But he is a military genius and a philosopher with a great sense of passion and strong principles. That's why we all follow his orders without fail." She rearranged her uniform once again and walked towards the door. As the doors opened, Captain Matsumoto stopped.

"By the way, just so you know, I don't like the idea that humans are evolving to become one with each other. I personally find that disturbing. But that is the way of life. And there's no point trying to change what is already destined, right?" She sighed and turned to him, smiling. "You're old squad mates are on board. If you're feeling up to it, they will be in the Briefing Room at 1400 hours." With that, she stepped out into the corridor and the door closed behind her.

Sieg stared blankly at the door, contemplating about what will happen to him once he got back to Earth. He turned to look at the doctor, but the man was busy writing. Sighing, he rested his head on the bed's headboard and looked out of the window to his left.

-----

Being the captain of any ship is difficult, no matter how big your crew is. Thraw Nema understands this concept more than anyone. Being the sole commander of the Crossbone Vanguard wasn't easy, even more so when you are hired by Zeon. Though he doesn't mind working for them, but it was their secretive motives that has him worried.

The Crossbone Vanguard has existed since the late 1700's. They were a mercenary group who fought battles for the highest bidder, no matter who their clients are or their motives as long as they get paid. Though this might seem like dishonest work, Thraw didn't see it that way. The Nema family founded the Crossbone Vanguard to fight for France during the Napoleonic Wars. But when Napoleon lost, they decided to continue their art of naval warfare, except this time, work for whoever paid them the most. Hence the tradition of mercenaries continued through to Thraw, who fought for Zeon during the war.

The Mother Vanguard was the main battleship in the Crossbone Vanguard fleet, along with three old UN Salamis-class cruisers. The battleship's blue and white outer hull and shape resembled those old wooden ships that once sailed throughout the Earth's oceans. Several mast-like antennas stuck out above the ship with the bridge sticking up above the main hull. Beam cannon turrets protruded from hatches on either side of the ship, completing the old-style battleship feel. The four ships drifted silently in a shoal zone full of space debris and mangled hulls of ships.

On the trapezoid monitor above him a man wearing a pair of small round glasses and another with gelled silver hair looked down upon Thraw. The two were identical.

"Captain Nema, I trust that you are tracking the EUF fleet?" The man in wearing glasses asked. He had a firm and commanding voice with a hint of arrogance, similar to high-ranking officers in the old British army or those of royalty decent. However his expression showed that he was kind and thoughtful person who you would like to befriend.

Thraw nodded in reply. He didn't trust either of them.

"Project Angel should be ready for testing soon and her highness doesn't like to be kept waiting. Make sure that the fleet do not proceed further than they already have." The other man spoke. Unlike his brother, his face was expressionless, "There is still need for subjects for Project Angel, so take prisoners."

"What about reinforcements?" Thraw asked, "There are over ten ships in that fleet."

"I'm sure you'll be able to handle it. After all you have done it before. Joseph and I will return to Axis once we have collected the goods."

"Fine, Nema out." The monitor above him flickered off.

_Nicholas and Joseph Fin. If I didn't know better, I'd say that you're trying to get rid of the Crossbone Vanguard…_

"So how are we gonna do it this time Thraw?" A voice spoke behind him.

"What would you suggest, Vandez?"

Vandez Jenius, who was standing at Thraw's side, stepped forwards and pressed on a few buttons on Thraw's armrest and brought up a map of the area.

"We should be able to use the debris a lot more effectively against a large group of targets." Several red and green dots flashed up on the screen, "It's just the normal confuse and strike tactic, spread Minovsky particles, confuse their sensors and strike at their flagship."

Thraw sat there silently, pondering the viability of the plan. He pressed another button on his console and the green dots disappeared and reappeared above the shoal zone.

"Clever plan, Vandez. But if we lead them into the shoal zone and place ourselves above it, there will be no need for Minovsky interference." Though only thirty, Thraw sounded like a military strategist who's been fighting for decades.

"Though there's a high chance that the beams will deflect off the debris but their suits won't be able to manoeuvre as well as our Zondo Geis and our cannons will be able to get clear shots. All we have to do is to lure them in and that shouldn't be all that difficult."

Vandez stood with his arms folded and stared up at the monitor and then at his long time companion.

"Brilliant as always."

Thraw smiled and picked up the intership PA microphone.

"All hands, this is Nema. Prepare for battle, we will engage the EUF fleet in twenty minutes! Alert the Killingdale, Sandhurst and Yinst to follow the Mother Vanguard." When he finished, the entire bridge crew began to speak at once, co-ordinating different sections, preparing them for battle. Klaxons rang through the entire ship. The crew of the Mother Vanguard rushed from one place to another. Each member of Thraw' crew is totally loyal and trusts every order he gives; in other words, they would follow him to hell and back if it comes to it.

"I will launch in the X1. I think Nimbus is down in the hanger in the X2 waiting for you to give the word to attack." The magnets in Vandez's shoes lost its attraction from the metallic floor as he jumped towards the bridge's exit.

"Remember Vandez, we need to capture at least one of those ships for Project Angel." Thraw turned his head towards Vandez, but he had already gone.

-----

Sieg walked through the busy corridors of the Argama-Class battleship, York, trying to find his way to the briefing room. Though two of his ribs were broken and there was a fractured bone in his leg, he could still stand with the help of crutches. The Argama-Class battleship was essentially the upgrade of the Albion, more firepower, more thrust, greater manoeuvrability and greater Mobile Suit storage.

As he hobbled forwards, he heard the two familiar voices behind the door to his right.

The door slid open and Sieg peered into the room. On the podium at the front stood a Chinese and a Black man; they were taking turns speaking to a group of pilots sat at individual desks. Sieg also noticed that there was a camera placed in the corner of the room and a line of plasma television monitors showing images of the pilots aboard the other ships in the Londo Bell Taskforce.

"…fleet will enter the shoal zone at 1420 hours. The Jegans on the Trent will form the rear guard with the ones on the Hunter. The Quinton and Megan's Jegans shall form the scouting party and the rest of the Jegans will shall be searching through the debris. We shouldn't be expecting the enemy to be in large numbers, but we should be cautious." The Chinese man said while pointing to the virtual map.

"Captain Wang is right. There's a high chance that what ever destroyed those ships will still be in the area." The Black man named Wiz Earo continued on, "The lack of Minovsky particles in the area worries me. Every pilot should exercise caution when exploring the wreckage for survivors and clues. Each Jegan will be given standard equipment, as it's too dangerous mounting anything else onto them. Anything else Captain Wang?"

"Nope. Anyone have any questions? Fine. Get to your suits. The operation will begin in twenty minutes." With that, the screens at the back switched off automatically and the young pilots sat at the front began shuffling out. The two Captains at the front of the room hasn't realised Sieg was there.

"YO, WIZ, TYAN!" Sieg's voice echoed around the room and the corridor. Both Tyan Long Wang and Wiz Earo turned towards him. At first they didn't recognise him but after a moment...

"SIEG!"

-----

"So this is where you two been hiding." Sieg joked with his old comrades. They stood by a large window and looked upon the other battleships within the Londo Bell fleet. Every now and then a Jegan mobile suit would fly past on their timetabled patrol.

"Admiral Bell personally requested that we would be transferred to his fleet after he heard about the 1st Mobile Armour's exploits." Tyan replied. He always had a cheerful face that made him such an easy person to approach. "He tried to get our entire squad, but those bureaucrats in Tibet refused. It seems like those pen pushers are more of a problem than ZAFT, Titans, Oz and those terrorists put together."

"Well, its better than nothing." Sieg knew that there was corruption from the lowest level to the top ranks of the EUF was so stark that a ten year-old child would have been able to see it. Though no one admitted it, the Titans and Oz were manipulating the EUF for their own interests, such as when they began to police the colonies. But seeing past the corruption and the red tape, the EUF was a symbol of peace and their troops were created to keep the peace.

The scene outside suddenly changed from open space to metal and rock graveyard. The fleet had entered the shoal zone.

"Its strange that no matter how hard we tried to get rid of each other, fate somehow brings us back. Its like that 'I try to get out and they keep pulling me back in' saying." Wiz mused, "I heard a rumour that the Admiral was bring back the old 1st Mobile Armour Squadron, looks like we're one big family again. Wonder why he's done this?"

"Apparently he thinks that we Newtypes are the future." Sieg let out a small laugh.

"Maybe we are the future. We are technically superior to normal people." When Tyan made that comment he saw Sieg's face cringe slightly.

"Superior my ass," Sieg was getting angry, "The concept that we are the saviour and the future of mankind is just a funny concept to me. I mean look at us. I'm an orphan; Tyan, you joined the EUF out of spite because of a piss up with your brother; and you Wiz were a drug addict on the verge of suicide. What about the others? Cowan, he's some hooligan from a gang in Edinburgh? How about Korzeki? He was court-martialled several times for being AWOL. How can _we_ be the future of mankind? If we so superior then how come Cowan, Korzeki, Bruny, Ister, Pilsen and Anders are all dead! I don't even know why we are fighting. All it seems is that people are using us to rid the world of Newtypes. Maybe that woman was right."

A very uncomfortable silence followed the Sieg's angry outburst. All three pilots stared at the floor, all wondering the same thing: _Why are we Newtypes?_

"Sorry." Sieg mumbled.

"No, you're right." Tyan stood up and leaned against the large window, looking out into space. "Why are a bunch of clowns like us Newtypes? I remember what that woman said to us at Acteria: 'When the time comes, Newtypes will be freed from the oppression of Oldtypes. Our kind will ascend beyond everyone else and become free. Stop fighting for these Oldtypes, all they do is exploit you and use your powers for their own selfish gains.'"

"Maybe she's right." Sieg groaned.

"Maybe." Wiz answered, "But we joined the EUF out of our own accord. We have a job to do. Does it matter whether we are Newtypes? Even if we have Newtype powers it wouldn't matter because if we can do our job well then that's all that matters. I really don't care what she says but as long as we are alive, we'll decide how to live our lives."

"Well said Wiz. Well said." Sieg tried to forget about what he just said and to cheer himself up, but he couldn't get laughter of that girl out of his mind.

-----

The Mother Vanguard sailed silently through space above the shoal zone. The tactic was working perfectly. The EUF fleet has moved into the zone and all the Mother Vanguard and her three Salamis escorts will simply appeared to be are large clusters of debris on their sensors. Thraw watched as around thirty red dots move through the debris. The bridge crew managed to patch into a communications channel of a Jegan patrol. They heard every word they said.

"Sika 2 to Sika 1, nothing to report from area 293."

"Roger that Sika 2."

"It's eerie. So many ships and not a single body."

"I know. It's weird."

"Sika 3, check area 288."

"Aye, sir."

"Sika 4 here. Nothing to report in area 290. Where the hell are the bodies of the crews?"

"The area's too clean. Something's not right."

"Cut the chatter Sikas, we have a job to get done. I don't want to stay in this graveyard any longer than you do."

"Understood." And the conversation continued like that.

Thraw sat in the captain's chair with his arms crossed and eyes closed. He was waiting, no feeling, for the right moment to attack.

"Bring the ship about and arm starboard mega particle cannons. Once the first barrage has been fired, barrel-roll 180 degrees and fire the port cannons. Continue like that until I say stop. Fire on my mark…

…

…

…

FIRE!"

He watched as bright yellow beams flashed forth from the Mother Vanguard and the other cruisers.

"Launch all MS. All hands to battle!"

-----

The ship suddenly began to shake, throwing Sieg, Tyan and Wiz into the window. Outside, five pillars of beam energy drilled through the bridge and the hulls of five different ships. Time seemed to slow down as the metal shell of those ships began to morph and distort under the heat. The spectacle was followed by the ships flowering into a ball of flames, flinging debris everywhere.

"What the hell!" Tyan exclaimed out loud as he watched the destroyed ships above them disintegrate into nothingness.

Alarms and klaxons rang throughout the ship's corridors and the ship's crew began rushing past them as they went to battle stations.

"Hey, you!" Tyan grabbed a nearby crew member, "Give him a hand and get him to the bridge."

Sieg tried to argue, but Tyan turned to him, "You're in no shape to pilot. Anyway, your should leave it to the pros." With a grin, he and Wiz ran off towards the hanger.

-----

Thraw was quite pleased with the result of the first barrage of beams, destroying 5 of the EUF ships.

"Rotate the ship 180 degrees! Recharge starboard cannons and fire the port cannons when they come into range. Fire anti-beam missiles around the ship, all AA batteries prepare for enemy attack."

The main view screen on the bridge of the Mother Vanguard showed trails of light flying erratically in space as the mobile suits of both sides began to clash.

"This is too easy. IKUZE! CROSSBONE SLASH!" Nimbus' Crossbone Gundam X2's beam zanber sliced through another EUF Jegan. The Gundam was painted black and red because Nimbus was a fan of anime and an old game called Super Robot Taisen.

"Nimbus must you shout like that?" Vandez's Crossbone Gundam X1 nimbly dodged past two amateur Jegan pilots with ease. He slid around them, drawing a bead on both Jegans with his buster gun and hit both of their reactors.

"Come on Van, this is fun. Lighten up!" The X2 boosted upwards as a Jegan charged at him with a beam sabre. A conveniently placed Zondo Gei behind the X2 fired its beam rifle and vaporised the Jegan's cockpit.

Vandez sighed. Thrusting up behind a piece of space debris, he sighted an orange fighter around 2 km away. He watched as the fighter approached three Zondo Geis doing hit and run tactics on a lone EUF ship. Four barrels on its back detached from the main hull and began firing a hail of bullets.

_Wow are those things remote controlled? That must mean a Newtype. This should be interesting._

The X1's thrusters flared to life and dashed between the space debris towards its new target, leaving Nimbus to his hacking and slashing while shouting incoherent phrases.

-----

Tyan's ReGZ was a lot more agile than it looked. It dodged and barrel rolled around the debris of the battle, firing the beam cannon mounted beneath the nose of the large blue ReGZ fighter and scoring a direct hit each time. However being in a large Mobile Armour fighter, it made it difficult to move between the wreckages of the ships than mobile suits so every now and then a piece of metal would bounce off the ReGZ's armour. Despite that, he made it look so easy. Though he was picking off the enemy, the Londo Bell fleet was shrinking in numbers.

Tyan tried not to move too far away from the remaining fleet, but three Crossbone Vanguard Zondo Geis were shadowing him, jumping from one piece of debris to another. Several missiles flew out from the ReGZ's wing. They exploded in the path of the pursuing mobile suits blocked the mobile suits from Tyan's view, but he knew they were still there because there was no way a few missiles will destroy a MS.

"This is Captain Tyan Wang to any Jegan pilots nearby, form up behind me. We're too unorganised!"

Several beams pierced through the curtain of smoke made by the ReGZ and destroying part of the its right wing. Tyan, cursing loudly that he allowed himself to be hit, tried to control the spinning mobile armour without much success. With blood rushing to his head, he decided there was only one thing to do and slammed down on the right hand control panel.

All the remaining missiles on the ReGZ automatically launched in all directions, creating, literally, a wall of flames around the blue mobile armour. The Crossbone Vanguard mobile suits evaded the explosions with no problems, but they didn't expect what happened next.

The blue fighter like nose and wings on the ReGZ detached from the bottom half of the mobile armour, revealing a pale turquoise coloured mobile suit. It grabbed the beam rifle mounted on its back and spun around, leaving the rest of the ReGZ to fly off and explode.

A flash appeared in Tyan's mind. He raised the beam rifle and pulled the trigger three times. Each shot struck the cockpits of each Zondo Gei, incinerating the pilots inside each of them.

Four Jegans from chaotic battle formed up behind the ReGZ and the five suits moved off to help the other EUF MS and ships.

-----

Meanwhile, Wiz's small Gunbarrel Striker weaved in and out of the debris with no problems. It was simple for the small fighter craft to manoeuvre in the confined space while picking off the enemies with its gunbarrels.

Spotting three Zondo Gei harassing the Triumph, a Magellan-Class cruiser, Wiz sent the four gunbarrels forth. A railgun protruded from each of the orange and white barrels and sprayed bullets and in the Zondo Geis' general direction.

The unsuspecting three Crossbone mobile suits managed to dodge past two of the gunbarrel's but the pilots didn't realise that there was another two behind them. The explosion from one of the railgun's rounds propelled the Zondo Geis forwards while the Gatling machine gun mounted on the bottom of Wiz's fighter ripped them apart.

Wiz flew the Gunbarrel Striker past the Magellan cruiser and saw the bridge crew wave at him.

All of a sudden a pair of feet appeared out of nowhere and crushed the bridge from above. Though it happened in an instant, it felt like eternity to Wiz. He saw the crew on the bridge being forced onto the floor and disappeared under the crumpling metal.

"YOU MONSTER!"

The Gunbarrel Striker spun around 180 degrees while continuing its original course, firing its Gatling machine gun and the railguns on the gunbarrels at the white Gundam.

Vandez was trained in MS piloting ever since he was a boy so dodging the attacks of a fighter and remote weapons was no sweat for him. The cape that the X1 had didn't help much here because weapons on the Gunbarrel Striker were physical ammunition, but the tattered cape just made the X1 look cooler as it charged at Wiz with its beam zanber held at its side.

Wiz barely had time to think of his next action when the X1 charged at him, but his Newtype instincts told him exactly when to react. Activating lower-back and lower-front thrusters, the Gunbarrel Striker shifted upwards while the entire fighter somersaulted over the X1. It was an ingenious piece of manoeuvring which usually only a mobile suit can achieve, but Wiz was known to do near-impossible things in his Gunbarrel Striker. With the gatling gun still firing, he managed to score a hit on the X1, however the damage was only superficial.

Vandez wanted to try and strike again but a hail of beams and bullets rained down between him and Wiz. It was the ReGZ and the four Jegans.

Realising that the situation wasn't in his favour, Vandez decided it was time for him to leave. He charged straight into the approaching EUF mobile suits.

The Tyan and the other four pilots was surprised to see that the enemy made a beeline straight at them. But what surprised them more was to see a Jegan split in half at the waist before it reached them. Tyan turned his mobile suit around, only see the real X1 had already passed them and heading towards another part of the battlefield.

"Damn afterimage…" Tyan mumbled to himself as he watched helplessly as the ashes of another one of his EUF comrades disappear into the cosmos.

-----

On the bridge of the York, Sieg stood in the corner thinking that he should be out there fighting with Tyan and Wiz. A nearby explosion shook the bridge; several consoles exploded, injuring a crewman. Another volley of beams destroyed 2 more ships.

_Dammit, only seven ships left and two of them are dead in space…_ Captain Rika Matsumoto thought to herself as she analysed the situation.

"Michael, deploy the mega particle guns and arm the hyper particle cannon. Bring the ship about, 10 degrees elevation." Rika ordered her bridge crew. Any hesitation now would be devastating.

"We can't find who's firing! All the sensor's are getting is debris Captain!" Lieutenant Paul Ransom shouted from the tactical console.

"Well aim those cannons at where the enemy beams are coming from!"

"Captain, enemy MS approaching from 190, elevation -20!" Sensor operator Ensign Hana Ito reported.

"Fire anti-beam missiles and anti-mobile suit missiles; take us 20 degrees to port!" Sieg could tell that Captain Matsumoto was getting desperate.

The missiles flew out from their slots on the side of the ship, exploding in the direct path of the oncoming mobile suits. Though it didn't destroy them, but it did slow them down. The Mother Vanguard and the Salamis fired a barrage of deadly beams. The battleships swerved to avoid them but two unlucky ones was hit by the beams and promptly exploded.

Missiles from the Zondo Gei MS flew out of the smoke and debris, striking the York's bow. The explosions ripped apart the starboard launch catapult, making it completely useless.

"Dammit, they've got us pinned down…" Sieg muttered to himself picking himself up off the floor with difficulty.

"Ma'am! Message from the Admiral Bell!"

"Put it on the monitor, Hana."

The old man Sieg spoke to earlier appeared on the large monitor in front of the bridge. He was covered in dust and the scene behind him showed that most of the bridge was either destroyed or damaged. The message was very garbled but the meaning of it was clear.

"Captain-…-sumoto, get the fleet out o-…-ere! I won-…-let them…-t be destroyed here! I-…cover your escape…-ust get ou-…-ere! Retr-…-t! Ret-" The message crackled and the screen went blank.

"Is that man nuts? What the hell does he think he's doing covering our escape? He'll get him and his crew all killed!" Sieg yelled out but it was no use. Admiral Bell's Argama-Class battleship, the Nausica, manoeuvred itself between the York and the oncoming Crossbone Vanguard mobile suits.

"Helm! Set course: 180 elevation 10, maximum thrust! Get us out of the shoal zone. Communications send a message to all remaining ships and mobile suits…tell them to follow us and retreat!"

"What about the Uganda and the Otto? They're dead in space. We can't just leave them."

"Yes we can, Paul. If we don't leave now the Admiral's sacrifice will be for nothing!"

"Yes m'am."

-----

On what was left of the Nausica's bridge, Admiral Londo Bell sat alone. The rest of the bridge crew was killed when a partially destroyed mobile suit slammed into the side of the ship.

He had managed to use up the remaining power left in the engines to move the disintegrating ship to block the path of the enemy. Admiral Bell knew that his ship wasn't going to make it, even if it did escape with the rest of the fleet.

Throughout his life, he dedicated himself to fight for Earth and what he felt is right. Since he became an Admiral, he tried to use his position to change the Earth, the moon and the colonies, to help bring about peace. Now, he knew his time was up and the only thing he could do was to help the younger generation carry on with his work. Setting his ship to self-destruct in thirty seconds, he relaxed himself.

The Admiral closed his eyes and thought about his family on Earth, his wife…his son…his granddaughter. But as the countdown reached zero, his thoughts suddenly switched to the young men and women who were on the retreating ships. He knew that it would be up to them to bring peace to the Earth. Oh how he wanted to live and see that day. A tear slid down his cheek as his body was turned into ash in the raging inferno of the explosion.

On the bridge of the Mother Vanguard, Thraw watched silently as the flagship of the EUF fleet explodes in blinding flash, destroying anything that was close enough.

"Sir, the enemy fleet is heading back to Earth." One of his bridge crew reported, "Shall we pursue?"

"No…Let them go. Their leader sacrificed all he had to save them, the least we could do is to show him some respect. Inform Axis that the threat has been eliminated." Thraw replied.

Nimbus' face suddenly appeared on the monitor above Thraw.

"WE'RE LETTING THEM GO! WTF ARE YOU THINKING? DIDN'T THE FINS TELL US TO DESTROY THEM ALL?"

"We already have disabled two of their ships and several mobile suits. It should be enough to satisfy the Fins." Thraw said without looking up.

"WHAT? WHAT ABOUT THE REST!"

"I said we'd let them go."

"WE CAN'T DO THAT! WE'RE WINNING! I'M GOING AFTER TH-"

"YOU WILL NOT PURSUE THEM! YOU WILL ROUND UP THE REMAINING EUF SHIPS AND MS AND YOU WILL RETURN TO THE MOTHER VANGUARD WITH THEIR CREWS UNHARMED! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?" Thraw roared. Nimbus suddenly became very quiet.

"Yes, sir."

Though Vandez wasn't on the screen you could hear him sighing in the background and mumbling something about kids nowadays.

-----

"Get to the Mess Hall. There's a temporary infirmary set up there." Sieg told an injured crewman as he watched him walk past with blood streaming down his face.

Captain Rika Matsumoto now commanded what was left of the Londo Bell Fleet and had ordered the five remaining ships to return to the Grenada Moon base for repairs.

Sieg slowly limped down the long hall way, his mind wondered between the woman in the Gerbera Tetra and what the man named Zeon Zum Daikun advocated before the Zeon War. Was all this really worth it?

These questions all evaporated as the doors of the hanger bay slid opened. The once majestic looking Jegan Mobile Suits now stood at odd angles, all looking worse for wear. Mechanics and medics rushed past Sieg as he entered to repair the damage and to rescue trapped pilots. As he stood at the entrance, he saw several pilots being carried out of the hanger, strapped to stretchers. Another pilot was being resuscitated on the hanger floor by a medic. After several attempts, the doctor shook his head, took off his white coat and placed it over the man's body.

Tyan and Wiz were already out of their cockpits and helping to pry open a fused cockpit hatch on a badly damaged Jegan.

Throwing away his crutches, Sieg floated into the chaos and joined his companions.

-----

Jason Statham sat in a crowded transport with other EUF POWs. He was one of the pilots of the Londo Bell Fleet who was left behind and fortunate enough to be kept alive. But that didn't matter for he felt betrayed, betrayed by those who fought with him and called him a friend; yet those friends abandoned him so easily.

Several of the EUF soldiers banged on the cockpit hatch with their cuffed hands, trying to get their captor's attention.

"What the hell is going on here!"

"I demand to see a representative of the EUF!"

"Where are you taking us?"

But no one answered. Though Jason wanted to shout with them, but he knew that it wouldn't help. Better conserve his energy. Half an hour later, the small transport's intercom activated.

"Quieten down. Everyone take a seat. We're about to touchdown."

Sure enough, the entire transport shook as it locked onto the laser sensors of what ever they were touching down on.

When the back hatch opened, the sight of soldiers wearing gas masks and full body armour greeted the EUF prisoners. They pushed and shoved Jason and the others out of the transport and into the large hanger. Jason expected that this would be a Zeon military base, but as he was marched out of the hanger, what he saw shocked him and everyone behind him.

The walls of the base were lined with tubes. As he walked past one of the tubes Jason glanced at what was inside. A man was inside. He thought he was hallucinating; there was no way that they could be storing people. As he walked past the next tube he saw a woman inside. Her eyes were shut as if sleeping. It was the same in the next tube and the next and the next. Each of the tubes was occupied by a human being.

"What the hell is this place? Who on earth are you!" He shouted out in horror.

"I believe I can answer that." A male voice above the EUF prisoners boomed, they turned to look up at him.

"I am Adun Weich. And this, my friends, is Project Angel."

-----

Inside the core of Axis was a majestic throne room. It was decorated with all the décor associated with medieval royalty. The Zeon insignia was draped across the walls while the pillars was adorned with flowers and more banners.

When Zeon left the Earth Sphere on the mining asteroid Axis, its people was exhausted and their new home was nothing more than tunnels inside Axis. However as the years passed, the people of Zeon saw that Axis as their new home, they felt it was their responsibility to maintain it and make it fitting for the heirs to the Earth Sphere to live in.

The Axis leader, Sophia Cogant, sat on the throne, alone in the large hall.

She was only 20 years old. Her blood red hair ran down to her shoulders while her light blue eyes stared at the throne room door. All responsibility of leading the new Neo Zeon was placed on her shoulders at the young age of 18. It wasn't easy following in her father's footsteps when he led the remaining Zeon troops out of the Earth Sphere. But when her father died and she was voted to become the next regent of Zeon, her life was torn apart with endless meetings.

Today was one of those days when nothing happened. Nothing important had occurred in the Neo Zeon organisation and the military leaders and community leaders left her alone to her own daydreams. It was bliss.

The door into the throne room creaked open and a Chinese man wearing a black Neo Zeon uniform walked briskly in. Sophia recognised the man; it was Tai Yang Long, one of the younger high-ranking officers in the Neo Zeon military. Though he was around the same age as her, his knowledge about far exceeds hers and he could threaten her leadership of Neo Zeon, yet she felt that he could be trusted.

No one knows where he came from since his name didn't appear on any of the ships which escaped with Axis, but his determination to become the best and hate towards Earthanoids allowed him to be accepted by everyone around him.

"Milady," He said as he reached the steps leading up to her throne. He bowed his head as he spoke, "I have received news that Project Angel is 98 complete. We should be able to begin testing in around 2 to 3 weeks."

"Very good. You all have been working very hard. Please give my regards and thanks to everyone on the project. Tell them that they may have 3 week vacation once the initial testing has been completed."

"Thank you milady."

"Please, call me Sophia." She felt her heart pound slightly as she watched Tai look up at her.

"As you wish, Lady Sophia."

"Anything else?"

"Yes. Though the Crossbone Vanguard's latest mission yielded the final subjects for Project Angel. However several ships have escaped back to the Earth Sphere. How do you wish to proceed?"

"I suppose they know too much about the project already. Aren't Nicholas and Joseph Fin in the Earth Sphere? Tell them to deal with it."

"Yes, Lady Sophia." Tai turned and began walked toward the exit.

"Umm…Tai," One thing that Sophia never did was to not think before speaking or use unnecessary words such as 'um', but this time her mind was elsewhere, "Would you like to join me for dinner tonight?"

Tai stopped and turned around.

"I'm afraid I am very busy, milady. I'm needed in the MS training centre."

"Just for today, please." Sophia sounded like a school girl. She had no idea what was wrong with her. She never had any feelings before towards anyone apart from her father so why is her heart pounding?

"I suppose those recruits can wait." Tai smiled back at her.

-----

_Looks like Thraw let some of those EUF ships get away. _

_And I suppose Sophia wants us to deal with his mess._

_Yes._

_Damn Oldtype, letting his old misguided ideals cloud his judgement._

_Don't underestimate Oldtype values brother. Chivalry and honour serves them well in battle._

_Yes brother. So, where are they heading?_

_Grenada._

_Shall we intervene?_

_No. Pasture is on Grenada._

_Shall we call in our old favour?_

_Why not._

_Shall we give him instructions?_

_It will be best to let him decide. Let's see what this Oldtype comes up with._

_Fine. Will this affect our plan to get the presents?_

_No. The EUF fleet will work to our advantage._


	7. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Every Little Thing**

In the vastness of space, one single flame of life can seem so minute. But no matter how small that flame is, if it is extinguished, there can be no way to rekindle it.

7 mobile suits waltzed like dancers in open space. Their verniers pumping out super heated exhaust, leaving a trail of blue behind them. A casual observer could say that battles in outer space were elegant, even beautiful; but that would be the opinion of the casual observer, not the person who was fighting for their lives.

Tano Hagane and his wingman Orphen Enohpiris were expert Gaplant pilots. They have been in the academy in California together and were lucky enough to be assigned to the same team aboard the Alexandria-Class battleship, Severn. The Gaplant units they piloted were designed with the expectation that it would outperform every single mobile suit in speed and agility. Because of that, the pilots would have to endure high levels of G-Forces. So the only way for the pilot to endure was through cybernetic and genetic enhancements.

When the cadets at California was asked whether they would like to pilot the Gaplants under the condition that they underwent the treatments both Tano and Orphen were the first ones to sign up. Both of them didn't know that with the treatment came a price. After the operation, all they remembered was their time as cadets and nothing else. But it didn't really bother them.

Now the two were having the time of their lives going up against Duel Gundam and Buster Gundam.

"Hey Tano, check out the grey guy!" Orphen said to his team-mate while taking pot shots at the Duel Gundam. He expected something more from a Gundam, but if life gives you lemons, throw them at someone.

"Its like he's not trying! Heh, the damn mutant's pathetic."

"Yeah, well this guy's getting on my nerves. Let's swap." Tano's Gaplant, in MA mode, barely dodged past a shot from the Buster's high-energy rifle. He knew that if he can get in close in MA mode, the fight would be his. Tano was never good at tackling artillery targets.

"Yeah, I'm game." Both suits transformed into mobile suit mode, hi-fived each other like wrestlers coming into the ring and set about giving their new targets hell.

-----

Riou Hajima, the Duel Gundam's pilot, had no idea that the suit he stole was so basic. Armed with only a shield, a beam rifle and a pair of beam sabres the only thing that set it apart from a GINN was its phase shift; but even so, it wasn't going to be any good against a beam totting Gaplant.

But he wasn't going to let that little detail keep him from proving he was the best. The tried to gracefully roll over the oncoming beams from Tano's Gaplant, but instead it clumsily moved from side to side providing Tano with a very easy target. Riou was getting annoyed at the poor long-range performance of the Duel.

_Great, I graduate top of my class at the academy and this is what they give me. I should have listened to my parents and became a teacher._

Noticing that the Gaplant attacking him was now attacking Akito's Buster Gundam, Riou thought it would make his life easier. Instead, it just got a lot worse.

-----

While the Buster and Duel was struggling with the Titan mobile suits, Marcus' Aile Strike Gundam was being double teamed by the other two former Titan Gundams, Aegis and Blitz. Both mobile suits charged and dived at the Strike Gundam with all guns blazing.

Though it seemed the Strike Gundam was having a difficult time, the reality was that Marcus wasn't attacking them. While trying to defend himself, he was also trying to contact Ryan.

"RYAN! SAY SOMETHING!" Marcus shouted again through the international channel while dodging a flurry of beams from the Blitz. He hoped for a response, but somewhere in his mind he didn't expect Ryan to reply.

Looking up at the Aegis, he saw its body twist and transform into its mobile armour mode. When Marcus realised that the hole in the centre of the claw like fighter head was the Scylla Cannon he didn't react fast enough. The blue and red beam flew forth from the opening of the Aegis and struck the Aile Strike's right arm, partially melting it and destroying the beam rifle.

"Why are you fighting with ZAFT!"

"Why are you fighting with the Titans?" Was the answer.

Marcus tried to answer, but he had other problems. The pilot of the Blitz saw an opening, charged straight at the Aile Strike and slashed its beam sabre at it.

On reflex, Marcus spun the mobile suit around and blocked the attack with the shield mounted on the left arm. The damaged right arm sparked at the joints as the Strike drew its beam sabre from the Aile pack on its back and swung it downwards, making the Blitz back off and give Marcus some breathing space.

Marcus thought the Blitz backed off because of him, but he didn't see the Aegis Gundam's Scylla Cannon fire another shot at him and it was too late for him to dodge it. He closed his eyes and prepared for the impact.

When Marcus opened his eyes, the image of the Red Frame Astray's verniers filled the cockpit screen. The tiny screen above him flickered on and Kriss' face appeared.

"We're even, Marcus" Kriss didn't look at him. She was somewhat bewildered as to why she's save some Titan. But at least she paid back her debt. Kriss managed to convince Captain Blanc to let her sortie and help them. She didn't like owing people favours, especially if they are dead.

Her suit's shield smoked from the beam's impact, but it was intact. Both the Red Frame and Strike flew off in different directions, now the odds are even.

-----

The Alexandria-Class battleship was one of the new models of ships built by the Titans to counter the ZAFT threat in space. Heavily armed with four main guns and multiple secondary guns coupled with the ability to carry around 10 mobile suits, it was a mobile fortress. The ZAFT Nazca cruiser they were pursuing wouldn't stand a chance in a firefight with an Alexandria-Class.

Captain Maurice Blanc, commander of the Alexandria-Class ship Severn, knew if they got closer, the battle would be theirs. But the Nazca cruiser was faster than the Severn and a head start meant that there was no way the Severn was going to catch them at this rate.

There was a low din of chatter amongst the bridge crew as they relayed orders and instructions to the rest of the ship. Maurice Blanc knew there wasn't much he could do until they caught up with the Nazca, so he sat back and watched his pilots' mobile suits on the imaging radar.

The dots on the radar showed him that the Severn was several hundred kilometres behind the Nazca and the mobile suits were duelling halfway between them. His eyes moved between the main monitor and the radar, thinking whether his pilots could handle the prototype mobile suits. The Phase Shift Armour on the Gundams would be difficult to beat, but he trusted that Tano, Orphen, Marcus would try their best.

He had doubts about sending the Orbian, Kriss Sampson, out to battle. But Maurice felt that she was a capable pilot and would be able to handle herself out there. Plus they need every pilot they have to take down the Gundams.

When his eyes shifted back to the imaging radar again, the clear space ahead of them was suddenly filled with debris.

"The hell? Helm, what's our position and heading?"

"We're in grid 293, 22. Heading is 98 Blue 67. Elevation 20, sir." The crewmen at the front of the bridge answered.

"Looks like fate has brought us back…" Maurice muttered.

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Never mind. Launch the recovery flares. Bring our suits back."

-----

Riou tried to hit Tano's Gaplant, in MA mode, using his beam rifle, but the agile fighter just weaved in and out of the pillars of beam energy and rushed at him. The Duel's armour screamed as Riou's reaction superseded the limits of the mobile suit.

"Damn piece of !" The Gaplant transformed right before the Duel. The monoeye camera in its pointed head glowing menacingly and Tano pointed the beam cannon mounted in the Gaplant's arms at the Duel's cockpit. Time slowed for Riou. He watched blobs of light gather inside the barrel of the beam cannon. Riou looked in the giant monoeyes of the Gaplant; he felt the Titan pilot was mocking him. How could he lose to a inferior Natural pilot?

Tano's Gaplant suddenly lurched sideways when the feet of the Buster Gundam connected its head. Joining his comrade, Akito's voice crackled through the Riou's headset.

"You owe me one Riou." In the distance, recovery flares illuminated the darkness around both the ZAFT and Titan ships.

The Buster Gundam joined its high-energy rifle and gun launcher together. A brilliant yellow light shot directly at Tano's Gaplant; the beam missed by a mile but it forced Tano to take off in the opposite direction. The barrage of missiles that followed stopped Orphen's Gaplant in its tracks and blocked his view of the two Gundams. Both ZAFT pilots used the opening to make a quick exit.

"Dammit. If those engineers had more time they'd installed the Assault Shroud. And stop laughing Akito, this isn't funny." His friend was chuckling through the communications channel, "I'll get my revenge…no one makes fun of me."

Akito was used to that kind of attitude from his long time friend and it was no surprise to hear Riou say he wants revenge. Akito understood why Riou had a bad temper. If it wasn't for the war, Riou would have become a teacher; but now he's a bitter pilot who blamed everything which went wrong in his life when he joined the ZAFT military on the Earthanoids, or those who lived on Earth. He had every right to do so.

Both sets of mobile suits began travelling back to their respective mother ships, leaving their death-match unfinished.

After seeing the recovery flares, the Aegis and Blitz Gundams broke off their attacks and began retreating to the Versailles.

Kriss turned her Red Frame to head back to the Severn, but the Aile Strike Gundam just sped past her in the opposite direction.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

Marcus didn't answer. His mind was too preoccupied. No matter how hard he tried, the Aegis Gundam always seemed too far ahead.

-----

The pilot of the Blitz Gundam, Vivian Oria, saw the approaching Gundam opened a communication channel to Ryan in the Aegis.

"Ryan, you want me to deal with the annoying kid?"

"He's the same age as us you know." Ryan answered. His voice sounded distant, "You go on ahead. I'll deal with him."

The Aegis Gundam turned around and left the Blitz to retreat back alone.

The image of Strike Gundam grew larger and larger in the main monitor inside Aegis' cockpit. It was so long since Ryan saw Marcus but why did it have to be in these circumstances? He raised the Aegis' beam rifle and pulled a shot to the Aile Strike's left.

"Marcus, stop."

Hearing his old friend's voice made Marcus' heart leapt, but he knew that Ryan was with ZAFT and heeded the warning.

Both Gundam floated in space, several hundred meters away from each other. The mobile suits were personifications of the pilots: armoured warriors on the battlefield, armed with weapons designed to indiscriminately kill the enemy and to keep the wielder alive. In this instant, they looked like nothing more than normal humans.

On board both suits, a video link joined the pilots together. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever.

"Ryan." Marcus' voice was barely audible.

"Marcus, stop trying to talk to me."

That comment made Marcus' heart sink to the bottom of his stomach. The shock bewildered him. Nine years they have known each other and were best friends since they were babies. Seven years they have been apart. You wouldn't think that the changing world would change people so quickly, but it does.

"We are still friends Marcus. But we have jobs to do. I don't know why a Coordinator like you would join the Titans, but I'm sure you have your reasons. I want to keep our friendship alive, but our duties come before that. Please, next time we meet on the battlefield I want you to give me your all." There was a tone sorrow in Ryan's voice as the Aegis Gundam turned and boosted away.

Marcus was still stunned from the encounter when the battleship Severn came into view. It took a while for Kriss to wake Marcus up from his daze and return to the ship. The reality of war just settled inside his mind and it was taking its toll.

The shoal zone ahead became more visible as both ships approached it. If Marcus had not been in his state, he would have known that they were approaching the remains of Jenius 7.

-----

"So how is he?" Captain Maurice Blanc stood in the corner of the Severn's sickbay with the ship's doctor.

"Marcus is physically and mentally fine. I'm giving him a clean bill of health. Also to Miss Sampson too." The seated Australian accented doctor answered. He twisted around on his chair to youngster on the bed, "You're both free to go, unless there's something you two want to ask me."

"There is something." Buttoning up his uniform, he stood up and walked over to the captain and the doctor, "I heard the voices of one of the ZAFT pilots during the battle on Heliopolis. At first I thought it was rouge comm. traffic, but I realised that the radio on the Strike Gundam wasn't configured to receive anything but Titan frequencies. So can I be…"

"A Newtype?" The doctor finished off Marcus' sentence. It was rare to be a Newtype. Statistics showed that there would be one person with Newtype potential in every half a million, so having meeting one in battle would be extremely rare. Kriss sat on the other bed. She was worried about Marcus. Though they have only met, she felt some kind of attraction towards him, an urge to be near him.

"No. You are a Coordinator." Kriss gasped just loud enough to turn their heads towards her.

"Oh, I thought you knew. I'm sorry." The doctor apologised to Kriss and turned back to Marcus, "The genetic manipulation done on your genes before you were born corrupted the natural process of evolution. Newtypes abilities are developed through the genes passed down by your parents. But," He sighed slightly, "You people on the colonies had to mess with Mother Nature. What you heard was probably some international channel or just a simple hallucination."

Marcus wasn't convinced, but he knew that he couldn't be a Newtype. He saluted the doctor and the captain and walked out of the sickbay with Kriss following close behind him.

As soon as the doors closed behind them, Kriss ran ahead of him and blocked his way.

"What the hell are you doing with the Titans?" Though it was just a question, the look on her face told Marcus that she wasn't going to move unless he gives her an answer.

"Because ZAFT killed my parents."

Kriss didn't expect that for as an answer.

"What!"

"I said my parents were killed by ZAFT in cold blood. I'm fighting with the Titans to get revenge."

"But they're your own people! Why?" Kriss just couldn't get the idea around her head that a Coordinator would fight against his own kind. Marcus didn't answer.

Kriss was about to ask again but two large built Titan officers walked up behind Marcus. It was Tano and Orphen.

"Why is it that every time we let you go out by yourself we find that you'll bring back a girl?" Orphen put his hand in Marcus' red hair and ruffled it up.

"A beautiful one too." Kriss blushed at the comment and looked down in embarrassment. Tano was up to his old flirting tricks again.

"Don't be shy, young lady." He raised Kriss' had and kissed it, "A girl with your looks shouldn't be afraid of what others say. Oh, my name is Tano Hagane. These are my two colleagues, Orphen Enohpiris and Marcus Kolin, which you undoubtedly already met. So that's us introduced, what's your name?"

"Kriss, Kriss Sampson." She managed to squeak out.

"Sampson, Sampson…hm…are you by any chance the daughter of the president of Orb?" Orphen enquired. A nod was all they got.

"Oh Marcus!" Tano yelled out happily, "You always find girls who are just beyond my grasp. You should share your spoils with your friends sometime. Just because you're a Coordinator doesn't mean you should always get the girl."

Marcus just stayed quiet, his face was pink but it was barely noticeable.

"So you two know he's a Coordinator?" Kriss said back in surprise.

"Yeah, 'course. Who doesn't?"

"But I thought you Titans hated Coordinators."

"We do. But Marcus here is special. You like being special don't you?" Tano was treating Marcus like a kid. But to Kriss it sounded like Tano was treating Marcus like little brother but she also detected mockery.

"As long as he's fighting against ZAFT we don't care where he's from or what's his history." Orphen continued, "The Titans aren't monsters y'know. Marcus is a friend. I mean he's famous since he was the only one to get through to Jenius 7."

"What do you mean get through to Jenius 7?" Kriss was now intrigued.

"You mean you don't know? Which rock have you been hiding under princess." Tano was now in boasting mode, "Suppose your Orb news doesn't comment on these matters."

Kriss was getting annoyed at Tano's personality, "No they don't. Tell me, what do you mean by getting through to Jenius 7?"

"Fine. Marcus' nuke was the only one to hit Jenius 7."

-----

**BAM!**

Ryan's fist slammed against the metal door to his locker. Totally unaware of the shocked looks from Akito, Riou, Vivian and several other backup pilots who were all in the locker room with him, Ryan leaned forwards on the locker looking down at the floor.

Hate, happiness, anger and joy all circulated in his body and mind. Why did Marcus have to show up here? Of all the places why at Heliopolis? To make matters worse, Marcus was the one who killed one of his comrades who was meant to take the Strike Gundam and now they were passing through the Jenius 7 graveyard. Why?

Was it sheer random coincidence that bought him and Marcus back together again or was it some higher being's idea of a sick joke? Either way, he was with ZAFT and Marcus was with the Titans. They were enemies, no matter which way you look at it.

Vivian put her arm on Ryan's shoulder to comfort him,

"Ryan, please don't be like this." But he just shrugged her off. She backed away from him; her long green hair flowed in front of her face in the weightless environment. Vivian wasn't sure why Ryan was being so distant. He had never behaved like this before so what is going on? Maybe it was the locker room. If Major Nadist hasn't told all the pilots to wait there then Vivian would have taken Ryan to her room and _relaxed_ him herself.

The door to the locker room opened with a swoosh and in floated Major Nadist. Her mask flashed as the light in the room reflected off the metallic material. She used her hands to swing around the door and her magnetised shoes connected with the floor. The pilots all stood to attention and gave the standard ZAFT salute. Ryan hadn't realised that Dena had come into the room and was still in contemplation by the locker.

Thinking quickly, Vivian gave him a sharp nudge with her elbow in the ribs. Ryan looked up at her and then saw the major. He straightened himself and saluted with the others.

"No need to be so formal." Dena walked into the centre of the room. The mask gave her an air of mystery. Plus it hid her true identity from those who would recognise her though she could have probably didn't need the mask on the Versailles, but she was used to wearing it since her days at the academy. She brushed her blonde hair behind her mask and eyed the young Coordinators standing before her. They were the best of the best at the academy, though she couldn't use them directly, her presence with them would be enough. Either way, her plan and destiny was coming into fruition.

"Yes sir." The ZAFT pilots replied in unison.

"I would like to use this chance to congratulate all of you on completing the mission successfully." Dena realised that she could have chosen her words a bit more carefully as she felt a sense of gloom from all the pilots. The mission was technically a success, but to young ZAFT officers, seeing their comrades die right in front of their eyes would be painful. But she knew they would get over it eventually.

"We are still awaiting new orders from the ZAFT council, but until then we are to continue our course to Earth. So until we pass through the shoal zone, you guys should get some rest and relaxation."

"Yes sir!" The cloud of gloomy atmosphere dissipated from the room and replaced by calm and relief.

"Since the Jenius 7 shoal zone is strictly a none combat zone, we should be able to proceed through it safely." Dena continued, "Captain Reyes will be conducting a remembrance ceremony while we are there. However, I want you all to launch when we reach Jenius 7. With the loss of all the GINNs and my Gerbera Tetra is out of commission means that you people are our last defence. If the Titans strike, I want to be ready. Report for duty at 1400 hours, until then, relax. Dismissed."

After hearing Major Nadist's orders, the pilots began shuffling out of the locker room.

"Ryan, I would like to have a word with you."

Ryan stopped and connected his feet with the floor. A worried look from Vivian caught his attention. He smiled and nodded, his expression told Vivian that he wasn't going to be long and there was nothing to worry about. She smiled back as the doors closed behind her.

"Yes Major?" Ryan stood up straight and stared straight at the opaque plates on her mask. He could make out a pair of eyes, but the light in the room gave them a tint of blue. He always thought that her face and eyes were totally disfigured, but something wasn't right. Perhaps it was the lighting in the room. The thought was put into the back of his mind.

Dena stood there for a few seconds before answering; thinking of the right way to say what she wants to say.

"I hear that your friend is the pilot of the Strike Gundam, is that correct?"

"Yes sir." Ryan knew where this was going. She'll say destroy him or don't let his presence cloud your judgment, either way it won't be something he would like to hear.

"Can you convince him to join our side?"

"Wha-Wh-Excuse me?" Ryan wasn't sure how to react.

"You heard me. Can you convince him to join us?" Dena's voice became more and more firm. Once she had something planned she was going to do it, no matter who was standing in her way.

"I'm-I'm not sure. Why?" He stuttered back.

Dena turned to the door and indicated Ryan to follow her. The two of them exited the locker room and began roaming the long corridors of the Nazca-Class ship.

"From what I've seen from your battles and the intelligence gathered, I'd say that your friend is a Coordinator."

_Sherlock Holms strikes again._ Ryan didn't dared said that out loud, but a person's got to make his own humour in war. Though whether this was appropriate for the situation, he didn't know.

"I wonder why he is fighting with the Titans. Do you know?"

"No sir." He had no idea either. He never got the chance to ask Marcus, he probably never will.

"Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter. I think that if you get the chance, see if you can convince your friend to come around. However," The two of them had reached a lift door. Dena pressed a button to call the lift, "I do not want to see you or your team mates hurt. Destroying the Strike Gundam is still the primary objective, convincing your friend is just something that would be a nice outcome."

"Yes sir."

The doors opened revealing an empty lift compartment. Dena stepped inside and turned to Ryan, "I don't want to see young talent like your friend's being wasted. See what you can do." The doors closed, leaving Ryan staring into nothingness.

-----

Kriss was utterly stunned. Marcus, a seventeen-year-old boy, was the one who single-handedly ended the lives of 250,000 people. She didn't believe it; she wouldn't believe it. She looked at Marcus, her eyes wide with shock. His eyes were closed, as if ashamed to look at her. Tano kept on talking.

"Yeah," He boasted and leaned his muscular arms on Marcus' shoulders, "Our lil' ace here was quite the pilot in his Gaplant. While me and Orphen's Gaplant was damaged, Marcus somehow dodged and weaved past through those freaks. You should have been there. It was great!"

Tano noticed the look on Kriss' face and that on Marcus' so he kept on talking. Orphen, however, was trying to stop his ignorant team-mate, but Tano just shrugged him off and hushed him up.

"Shame those nukes were automated. Eh, Marcus? I really don't think headquarters trusted us with nukes. They programmed those things to fire once you get close enough. They didn't think we would be good enough to fly _and_ pull the trigger! They must think we're some kind of idiots! Oh I wished I could've seen the colonists' faces when the nu-"

"**SHUT UP!**"

Kriss' voice echoed down the corridor. Several nearby crew members turned their heads to see what all the commotion was about. Tano fell silent. Marcus looked up at her, expressionless.

"You people sicken me! You killed 250,000 people and you're talking about it as if it was nothing!" She pointed her finger at Marcus, tears were forming in her eyes, "I thought you were different from them, but now I see that you're just the same. You're all monsters without any compassion for others!" Kriss turned and ran off down the corridor.

Marcus watched her turn around the corner before he realised that he needed to go after her. Freeing his shoulder from Tano's arm, Marcus sprinted off to find Kriss, leaving both Tano and Orphen behind.

The door to the sickbay slid open and Captain Blanc stepped out.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing, sir!" Both Titan pilots stood to attention.

"Well, keep an eye on those two. Teenagers can be a handful, you know." He said as he walked towards the lift to the bridge.

When the captain entered the lift, Orphen turned to Tano.

"That was incredibly mean."

"I know. But someone's gotta make sure our resident freak is kept under control. A humiliation now and then should keep him below us." Tano said with an evil smile. Orphen shook his head. Tano had somehow always surpassed him, even with hate.

They were programmed to obey the orders of any Titan officer they serve under without hesitation, so if the Captain said jump they'd ask how high. They were programmed to hate any Coordinator on sight, even if they were on the same side. That is how they are and that is how they always will be.

-----

A cleanly shaven mechanic shouted at Kriss as she clambered into the cockpit of her Red Frame. The head technician had no idea what was going on, all he knew that if he doesn't stop that girl he was going pay, big time.

The eyes on the Red Frame's green eyes glowed and the engines hummed as Kriss brought it to life. The clamps that held the Red Frame in the metallic rigging released the suit when its main engines came to life. Panicking technicians and soldiers ran in all directions like ants trying not to get trampled. Kriss glared back at the head mechanic who has been shouting non-stop. The man was taken aback by the sudden piercing look from the young girl.

"Open the hanger bay door." She said, "Now."

The head technician didn't know whether it was the fact that the suit was now looking directly at him or the girl's voice that made him obey without hesitation, but either way, when one of the pilots who could have stopped her arrived in the hanger bay the Orb mobile suit had already stepped out into open space and took off into the shoal-zone. Before he knew it, the pilot which came in had also boarded the Strike Gundam and flew out of the hanger bay in pursuit.

The man slumped down onto the control panel with a bewildered expression. He stared at the half empty hanger and disconnected wires and rigging. He slammed his head down into his folded arms.

"God, this just isn't my day."

-----

In the vast shoal zone, Kriss didn't know where she could go. She was far away from home, there was no one around who could help her and her Red Frame was on minimal fuel. It wasn't good.

Darting around the maze of scrap metal, glass and rocks, Kriss finally realised how alone she was. She remembered before the Heliopolis incident she couldn't wait to get rid of Kuro and Terry, so why is it now that she's becoming lonely? She watched as piece upon piece of debris appear and then disappear from her screen, they were floating about in space without a care for what was going on around them.

Before long, the Red Frame stopped in an empty part of the Jenius 7 shoal-zone. Kriss undid her seatbelt and curled up in her seat. She was angry and afraid. How could she allow herself to become allies with a bunch of murderers? Destroying Jenius 7 without a single speck remorse. But how could a boy like Marcus be the one who committed such an atrocity? Marcus was normal teenager, not some bald guy holed up in a cave dreaming up world domination. Her perceptions of good and evil were completely destroyed.

Kriss pressed her forehead into her legs. Why did she give a damn about Marcus anyway? She had only met him for a few days yet all her thoughts are about him, about how Marcus was a nice looking teenager, about how he saved her from the ZAFT mobile suit, about how they fought in battle, about how he destroyed Jenius 7…Maybe she wanted to be with him. Maybe there was some connection between the two of them.

"Kriss!" She jerked her head up and looked around her. The main viewer automatically zoomed in on the approaching MS; it was the Strike Gundam. His face appeared in the communications monitor.

Wiping a droplet of tear away from the corner of her eye, Kriss sat up and grabbed the controls. The Red Frame lifted its beam rifle and pointed directly at the Strike Gundam. Marcus stopped the Strike, unsure on what Kriss is about to do.

Several minutes of silence followed where both suits stared at each other. Finally Kriss spoke.

"Why did you come after me?"

Marcus hesitated before replying,

"Because I was worried."

"That's rich, coming from a mass murderer." Kriss spat back at him. Marcus would usually become angry if anyone spoke to him like that, but this time he kept his cool.

"Kriss, I didn't want to kill those people. My orders were-"

"Your orders? Do you have no conscience? There were 250,000 people on that colony!" She yelled.

"I know."

"So you would blindly follow the orders even if it means killing thousands of civilians? If the Titans told you to kill yourself, would you do it!"

"Yes, yes I would."

Kriss was astonished to hear Marcus say that. It could have been Titan conditioning but the she felt sound of Marcus' voice that he told her an honest answer without all the propaganda.

"Why, Marcus? Why?"

"Because I owe them my life and everything that you see before you." Marcus sighed. He heard Kriss whisper 'what' in her cockpit. He owed her an explanation.

"It was on Side 3, when I was only 9 years old. The Zeon War just ended. My parents and I was living a peaceful life. Then one day, a splinter group of Zeon called ZAFT came to my house and killed my parents. Their crime? For not publicly speaking out against Earth during the war. I watched them barge into my home. They shot my father first and then raped my mother. My mother told me to run. I ran. Then I heard the gun shot. They were dead."

"I wondered around the colonies for four years, living off what others throw out. When I reached Side 1, I was badly beaten by a gang. I would have died if it weren't for the Titan officer who saved me. He didn't care whether I was a colonist or that I was a Coordinator. He took me into the Titan base on Side 1 and the people of the base took me in as one of their own. They gave me food and shelter, they treated me like a normal person. I enroled in the Titan Academy in California a year later."

"You probably think the Titans filled my head with colony hating propaganda, don't you? No. I had enough hate in me already, they didn't need to do any more. Most of my academy days were spent alone as an Coordinator outcast. But I still had the burning desire to get revenge."

Kriss still pointed the Red Frame's beam rifle as she listened to Marcus tell her about his past. She felt that this was an excuse for why he did what he did, but he began pouring his soul out to her.

"After I graduated," Marcus continued, "I was assigned to the Severn. The Jenius 7 battle was my first mission. I was going to get my revenge. But when I watched Jenius 7 light up from my nuke, I thought I would be happy, but instead...I felt nothing. I thought that by doing my duty I would be accepted by those around me, but I just felt lonelier."

"I thought I destroyed a ZAFT base that was stockpiling nuclear warheads, but when I heard I killed nothing but civilians I felt something disappear inside of me. When I look in the mirror, I don't see Marcus Kolin anymore."

"Then who do you see?" Kriss asked.

"I don't know." Marcus' voice began to tremble as he played back the destruction of Jenius in his mind over and over, "I don't know who I am anymore, but I know what I've become; I've become a monster."

At that moment, Marcus broke down in tears. He told girl he knows nothing about his inner most thoughts and feelings, but the sensation of being with her now was the same as the feeling he got when he first met Kriss on Heliopolis. It was a feeling of relaxation and comfort, a feeling that he longed for such a long time that only a parent can give to a child.

Marcus regained some composure and looked straight down the barrel of the beam rifle.

"Shoot me if you want Kriss. You won't be killing anybody, because Marcus Kolin died with the colonists of Jenius 7. I'm alone in this world. Killing me wouldn't change anything."

Then it hit Kriss. Marcus was the same as her. He was alone in this world, without anyone to care for him. She was alone too. Though there are people around her, she never felt anything with anybody else until she met Marcus. Maybe the connection is real and fate has bought them together. She lowered the Red Frame's rifle.

"Why aren't you going to shoot me?"

"Because if I do, how can you get the chance to redeem yourself?" She smiled at Marcus as the tension between them finally disappeared. They looked at each other through the communications monitor, neither saying a word when the Severn came into view. The Strike Gundam held out its hand to the Red Frame Astray, beckoning it to come back.

The Astray's hand reached out and grabbed onto the Strike's. Kriss turned off her communications channel to the Strike and used the old art of skin talk, where sound vibrations would travel through the metal in the suits to allow the pilots to speak to each other.

"I doubt anyone will forgive you for what you did, Marcus." She said quietly, "But I'm willing to give you the chance to try."

-----

The wreckage of Jenius 7 looked oddly serene from where Ryan's Aegis Gundam was. The lush greenery and blue waters were all frozen in time by the coldness of space. The Aegis, Duel, Buster and Blitz Gundams all stood in a square formation around the Nazca ship Versailles. None of the pilots said a word since they launched, each of them in deep thoughts about the people who perished on Jenius 7.

Almost everyone on board the Versailles lost someone they knew. Riou lost grandparents, as did Akito. Ryan lost both his parents, but Vivian, the Blitz Gundam's pilot, was the one most affected by the tragedy since her entire family lived on Jenius 7. Now, she was the only surviving member with no one to care for her apart from Ryan.

There was an unusual silence onboard the Versailles, but that was to be expected. All that could be heard was the ship's engines and the odd beeping from one control console or another. Looking at his watch, Captain Brennan Reyes pressed a button to open an international channel and began the memorial.

"Today, we return to the place where many of our loved ones rest. I know that there are many of you on board who have lost friends and family in the Tragedy of Valentine. I can share your pain. My son and wife were on Jenius 7. I miss them greatly, as I know you miss your nearest and dearest."

-----

On the bridge of the Severn, Captain Blanc knew that the ZAFT ship would make a stop at Jenius 7, and thus kept the Severn a good distance away. Unlike Tano and Orphen, he was a middle-aged captain without any enhancement to his body or mind.

He felt ashamed of giving the order for allowing his pilots to launch with the nuclear warheads. He felt guilty to be here again. But he kept that inside him. For being a captain meant that he would have to distant his emotions from his job, however he felt it was an obligation to give those onboard his ship a chance to morn and reflect on what they did, so he channelled the broadcast throughout the entire ship.

"However," Captain Reyes went on in the speakers, "Some have said that those who do not remember history, they are doomed to repeat it. But we are living in a new era. We must look forwards, not back. Though there are differences between naturals and Coordinators, we are still human beings."

Tano and Orphen were both sat in the officer's lounge when the broadcast was piped through the PA system. Both of them just sat there, not a single speck of remorse of what their people did. Tano snorted slightly when he heard the ZAFT captain mention that Coordinators were human. As far as he was concerned, all Coordinators were vermin and he was the exterminator.

-----

Kriss sat on the bed alone in a darkened room as she listened to the broadcast. She was confined to quarters after her return to the ship. She didn't want to be alone. She wanted someone familiar to be with her.

The door to her quarters slid open and the bright light of the corridor beamed in. A figure stood silhouetted in the doorway. It was Marcus.

"We've received a communication from Orb telling us that you'll be picked up." Marcus said sternly, trying not to give any indication of emotion. His mind was still dwelling on Kriss' words and compassion during their encounter.

"Thanks." She grumbled in reply. Obviously being stuck in a room would make anyone depressed.

"If it makes you feel better, a Major Kuroshin Watanabe and a Major Terrance Rockfield sent the transmission to us. Aren't they the pilots of the other two Astray units?" He saw her eyes light up instantly when he mentioned the two names.

"You mean they're alive?"

"Yes. We'll rendezvous with them at the Barge orbit section 9 in about a day."

Kriss leapt off the bed and hugged Marcus. Though Kuro and Terry can be annoying at times, they have been her guardians since her birth. She thought that they died when Heliopolis was destroyed.

Marcus was taken slightly aback by Kriss' hug. His first reaction was to pull away, but decided against it. He felt happy for her and for some reason, he was happy as well. Marcus felt her warmth, it was like his mother's. He savoured the moment and wished it would last forever.

In the speakers, Captain Reyes paused and then continued.

"As human beings, we must have the capacity to forgive. As a girl once said in her diary during a war long ago: 'There are good in everyone'. We cannot change what has been done in the past, but we must ensure that this shall never happen again. Never again."

-----

Both ships departed from the shoal-zone one at a time. Because of space Captain Blanc kept between them, the Severn and the Versailles were roughly the same distance as they entered the shoal-zone. Nothing gained, nothing lost. Both side's mobile suits launched yet again, ready for battle.

On a nearby colony, a boy leaned out of his window in the darkened night environment. He looked up into the sky and out of the colony window to see the two ships' engines streaking through the darkness as if they were comets. His mind was not set on war, but on games and what he would get for his birthday.

_Maybe I'll get a model GINN._ He thought as he dozed off on the windowsill, dreaming of becoming a famous pilot one-day.


	8. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Prelude**

Mark Schneider and Marigbo Olwatomi walked silently down the halls of Oz Madrid Central Command. Both of them had been badly shaken by what happened on St. Helena, but it was Mark who took most of the blame when they reported in at Cape Town.

Marigbo silently felt sorry for his superior after the incident since there was nothing that both of them could have done to stop the attack. Their Leos were like dolls compared to the monstrous mobile suit that had attacked them. How the hell did a terrorist group get their hands on such advanced technology? Those questions melted into Marigbo's subconscious when they reached a large door. Two men dressed in Oz foot soldier uniforms saluted to them and swung open the oak doors.

The sight of dozens of Oz pilots awaited the two of them. Large monitors lined the walls of the room while several men dressed in high-ranking officer uniforms paced backwards and forwards checking up on the operators who worked at their stations. The room was dark but the monitors provided sufficient illumination for everyone inside to see and walk around. There was a low hum of chatter from the waiting Oz pilots and the operators but there was an anxious mood within the room.

Mark and Marigbo edged into the crowded room and made their way to the wall furthest away from the platform. While Mark just shut his eyes and retreated into his own little world, Marigbo was peering around the room, looking for anyone he knew. His vision fell upon three pilots. All of them wearing the same type of uniform as everyone else, except they were coloured red and black, not just the usual dark green. Marigbo stared at the group for a while before realising that he was looking directly at Major James Harris (or just The Major) and his squad: Lieutenant Mason Graves and Lieutenant Kathryn White. The three of them were the top aces of Oz, why they were here was beyond Marigbo. Suddenly a voice behind Marigbo boomed across the room. He had no idea how loud Mark's voice could be.

"YO! MAJOR! GRAVES! WHITE! OVER HERE!" Mark's voice echoed throughout the entire room, turning every head towards him. Marigbo shook his head as he, again, was caught in one of Mark's embarrassing episodes, yet Mark seemed blissfully unaware of what others were doing or cared about what they thought of his actions.

The group of three turned towards Mark. Marigbo thought they'd just ignore him and pretend not to know who he was. But instead, Kathryn White made what seemed like a squealing noise and sprinted across the room. Her light brown trailed behind her as she ran. It shone brilliantly even in the darkened room. The crowd barely had time to part as she ploughed through the group of people and jumped on Mark, nearly toppling him over. Mark grabbed her by the waist and threw her up like a child before they kissed each other passionately, unaware of the looks given to them by the entire room and the whistling by some of the pilots.

James Harris and Mason Graves walked across the room unhindered by other pilots thanks to the wake Kathryn made behind her when she dashed to Mark. When they moved closer, Marigbo noticed that Mason had a scar running down the right side of his face. He knew that Mark was part of the ace team before he was promoted, but he never thought of meeting them here today.

Mark and Kathryn, finally seperated, brushed their uniforms down. James stuck out his hand to Marigbo. Marigbo stood there for a few seconds in shock that The Major would actually shake his hand. He grabbed it before The Majorcould retract his hand.

"I suppose you're Junior Grade Lieutenant Marigbo Olwatomi?" James asked. Marigbo felt that his voice was firm and commanding, quite suitable for the man.

"Y-Yes, sir."

Before they could continue their short conversation, the entire room fell silent as a tall young woman walked into the room. Marigbo could make out that she wore a brown Oz officer's uniform. From the way that she wore her hair he knew that it was Silvia Tyme, secretary and top adviser to his Excellency Riken Holm.

The pilots in the room watched as she walked past them as if they didn't exist. This was normal behaviour for Silvia since she usually looked down upon the common soldier and pilots. This was because she only answered to no one but Riken Holm. Marigbo and all of the other pilots' eyes followed her as she climbed the staircase onto the control platform and then strolled straight out of the door at the top, leaving the room full of confused officers.

After a few seconds after the strange departure, the noise level of the room rose back to what it was. Marigbo turned back to James Harris and looked him directly in the eye, trying to figure out what goes on in that head of his.

"So Marigbo," James continued over the din of voices behind him, "You ready to become part of the Quest Squadron?"

Marigbo almost tumbled over. The Quest Squadron was Oz's elite team. They were the best of the best, the crème de la crème. That was why the squad included James Harris, Mason Graves, Kathryn White and, before his promotion, Mark Schneider. How would a lowly junior officer be accepted into the crack team of pilots?

"Are you alright?" James asked.

"Yes, sir, Major, sir." Marigbo stuttered a reply.

"There's no need for formalities in the Quest Squadron, Marigbo. We're on first name basis."

"Right. Yes, sir, I mean James." Marigbo stumbled over his words again.

His mind was racing with questions about his inadequacy and inexperience, but somehow he had made it to the team that every Oz pilot aspires to be on. He looked over the shoulder at Mark, who was having a conversation with Mason and Kathryn. They were probably enjoying themselves because every now and then Kathryn gave out a cute giggle.

"Um, James, why was I…um…you know…err…" He tried to get the words out of his mouth but for some reason found his internal vocabulary dictionary to be wiped clean.

"Why were you chosen?" James completed the sentence for him.

"Yeah. I mean you all have customised Leos. Mark has the Leo N, Lieutenant Graves…"

"First name basis." James reminded him.

"Right. Mason pilots the Leo S, Kathryn uses the Leo R and you, sir, have the Tallgeese. So why do you need me? An inexperienced pilot in a Leo Cannon?"

James thought about this for a moment, looking out into nothingness while folding his arms and put a hand under his chin. To Marigbo, he looked strikingly like Sherlock Holmes. After a few seconds, James looked directly back at Marigbo.

"I dunno. For comic relief, I think." James couldn't keep a straight face when he saw the shocked look from Marigbo.

"I'm only joking with you!" James patted Marigbo on the back, "No. We seriously need you and Mark. You and Mark were the only pilots who made it off St. Helena, and from what Mark tells me, you have talent."

Marigbo winced slightly as James slammed his hands again on his back.

The room quietened again as the door to the side of the raised platform opened. Silvia Tyme walked back into the room, this time carrying a large binder and a glass of water. The pilots stared at her in absolute silence as she flipped through the pages of the large binder and then looked up at the people below. Silvia Tyme was technically a civilian, as she had no rank, but she was well versed in military procedures and protocol. Since she worked so closely with Riken Holm, as his secretary, she technically had a rank of Colonel or a Brigadier General.

"Well, I suppose I'd better not keep you waiting." She said as she removed a small laser pointer from her jacket's breast pocket and switched it on. A small, yet visible, dot appeared on one of the blank screens above where Marigbo and the rest of the Quest Squadron were standing. Suddenly, a giant image of the map of Europe appeared on it. There were sounds of feet shuffling as pilots moved away from the back wall to get a better view.

"As you may or may not know," Silvia continued. Her voice was sharp and clear, "His Excellency Holm will be travelling from his mansion in Paris to Lisbon, ahead of the Oz-Titan-EUF Conference in Southampton. He will be meeting with the Romefeller Foundation Representatives in Lisbon to discuss the agenda for this year's conference."

"Because of unforeseen circumstances, his Excellency will not be travelling by plane to Lisbon, instead he will be travelling by train." The map suddenly zoomed in to France, Spain and Portugal. The dot from Silvia's laser pointer began moving along a line on the map. "This line is the rail route which the train will be moving on. The train will cover around 2000km from Paris to Lisbon and will take around a maximum of 3 days to complete the journey. Our job is to ensure that his Excellency's train is protected from any attack." A low murmur of voices rose from below Silvia. Though Marigbo was the furthest away from the platform, he noticed that she looked rather annoyed as the soldiers began chatting.

"The plan," She carried on without waiting for silence, "is to line the rail track with mobile suits. There will be a Leo stationed on the track every 10 km while three Aires will provide air cover. The Aires will have a 3-hour shift rotation while the Leos have a 6-hour shift rotation. In addition to this, several pilots will be stationed on the train itself with his Excellency to ensure that if anything were to go wrong, there's going to be backups."

The screen flickered slightly and then the image changed to a mobile suit. It didn't take long for Marigbo to realise that the mobile suit was similar to the one that attacked him and Mark and killed two of his squad mates.

Silvia took a sip of water before she carried on with her briefing.

"You have probably heard that a few days before, the island of St. Helena was attacked by three mobile suits. They were sent down to Earth by a colonial terrorist group, the AEUG. We expect that those units will catch wind of this operation and ambush his Excellency. Therefore, we must be prepared to deal with them."

"On the screen is all the data we gathered about these three suits. From what we can tell, they are made of a lunar titanium and polygundanium alloy, which would explain how they were able to enter the atmosphere and be almost invulnerable to projectile weapons. And I believe that currently…" She smiled and narrowed her eyes at the Quest Squadron standing by the screen, "…only the members of the Quest Squadron and a few others have survived an encounter with these suits."

The entire room cast their eyes onto the group. Marigbo, who was not accustom to the attention, lowered his head while his face turned a shade of pink. However the other members of the squad just looked normal, except Mark who gave the pilots a small wave.

"As you have encountered these suits, would the Quest Squadron like to add anything to what I've said?" Marigbo felt that there was a mocking tone in Silvia's voice when she asked the question. Was she insinuating that the he and Mark deserted their friends when the Gundam attacked? His face turned from pink to red as anger swelled up inside of him. He wanted to say something, but James held him back. James turned to look at Mark, Mason and Kathryn before answering.

"Thank you Miss Tyme." Marigbo noticed that James' voice suddenly changed from the laid back and friendly tone to something much more serious and much more fitting for something of his rank.

"These MS are like nothing that we have faced before. They are agile and powerful. The one I fought," The screen suddenly changed to the Wing Gundam, "Ah, yes, that one there. This suit had a Variable Geometric Configuration that allowed it to transform into a bird-like fighter that supported atmospheric flight and aerial combat capabilities. Those giant wings allow it to maintain flight in mobile suit mode. The unit is also armed with an extremely powerful beam rifle and extra care should be taken when approaching for close quarter combat for the pilot is an expert swordsman."

"Thank you for your analysis, Major Harris." Silvia interrupted before he could go on any further, "The next two units you see are the MS which attacked St. Helena. The only two pilots to survive the attack are Captain Mark Schneider and Lieutenant Marigbo Olwatomi. I would ask them to give a report, but I'd rather not let them relive their dreadful encounter."

Marigbo felt rage swell up in his chest. He wanted to charge right onto the platform and beat that woman to a pulp. Marigbo wasn't the only one filled with anger when he saw that Mark's fists were tightly clenched, but his face showed no sign of how he felt inside.

"The two units you see here are totally opposites of each other." Silvia went on, "The MS on the right, codenamed Unit 02, is almost purely built for stealth and close combat. Armed with a beam scythe and clocking jammers like the Mirage Colloid developed by the Titans. It would be advised that this one is taken down by heavy artillery or carpet bombing. The MS on the left, or Unit 03, is almost purely long-range combat. Its body seems to store missiles and Gatling guns, like the belt-fed one on its right arm. But once it uses up its ammunition, then long-range combat would be advised."

"She probably wants to send wave after wave of soldiers into that thing to waste ammo..." Marigbo heard Mark mumble to Mason and Kathryn.

"And finally the Winged Gundam, or Unit 01, is versatile on all terrains, but long range assaults is advisable. Alright, I believe that about covers it. Here are your assignments and duty shifts, please pass them around. The operation will be codenamed 'Juggle'. The train will leave Paris in two days. All personnel who will be stationed on the train will leave tomorrow morning." Silvia concluded her presentation and distributed many large piles of paper from her overflowing binder to the pilots below.

Marigbo was seething with hate and contempt for Silvia. The Quest Squadron stood in silence as the pilots around them all tried to see what they have been assigned and where they were stationed. James, over the racket in the room, leaned over to Marigbo.

"Don't mind her, mate. She's always had it in for us. She's just…how should I describe it? Jealous, no that would be too harsh..."

"What?" Marigbo replied in confusion.

"Well, apart from the top brass, only two types of people report directly to his Excellency. One would be his secretaries, Miss Silvia Tyme there, and the other would be us, the Quest Squadron." James said as he flipped through one of the multiple piles of assignments was finally passed to the back of the room.

"So are you saying that we're her rivals?" Everything made sense, now, to Marigbo.

"Yeah, you could say that…Mason, Mark, Kath! Get over here! I have our assignments!"

The group of five huddled together just like all the other teams while the team leader gave out the jobs.

James re-read the paper before say anything.

"Looks like we're being placed on the train with his Excellency. Mark, Kath: its pretty much given that you two are gonna want to be on the same team, yes?"

Mark and Kathryn were engaged in another kiss when James asked the question.

"You can give each other mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when we get back to the barracks. But kids, try and not to suck off each other's faces now, hm? Right, your Leos will be stored in carriages 12 and 13, while Mason, Marigbo and mine will be in carriages 4, 5 and 6…"

Mark interrupted James before he could continue.

"Wait, Marigbo's only novice compared to us, nothing personal mate." Mark gave a nod to Marigbo. Those words didn't go down too well with him, but it was the truth, "I know what he can do, so it might be best for me to stay on your team James and provide him with some guidance."

Marigbo saw Kathryn pout in protest, but Mark just kissed her on the forehead and whispered something in her ear that made her grin widely.

"Fine." James jotted something down on the paper, "We leave tomorrow at eleven hundred hours with our suits. Everything will be sorted once we reach Paris. OK, that's it." He pulled over one of the female computer operators who just happened to walk past, handed over the piece and told her to pass it on to someone that Marigbo had never heard of. He then swung back to the group.

"So who's up for poker?"

-----

Strass Bernard yawned again at the controls of the plane. The large MS carrier's engines hum made it even more difficult for him to concentrate. For someone who's so lively and carefree, it was difficult to work with two of the quietest and boring people who had ever lived. The cargo plane held all three Gundams that were on St. Helena and they were now travelling to Portugal to kill the leader of Oz, Riken Holm.

Strass ran his hand through his dyed jet-black hair and yawned again. As he tilted back his head on to the pilot seat's headrest, his eyes fell upon his co-pilot.

The guy was no older than Strass, probably around 17ish. His face, or what you can actually see under that amount of over-hanging hair, was expressionless. Strass thought if he could get that guy to smile, or at least get some chitchat going they would get alone fine.

There was another pilot with working on his Gundam in the cargo hold. Strass noticed that the guy hasn't said a word to them except 'Thanks' and 'My name is Syuu Utensil' ever since he woke up. Syuu was about the same age as him but the guy behaved like a veteran soldier whose only aim is to complete his mission. That could be the reason why Syuu haven't said a word to him and Parith, or maybe the fact that he was poking the guy with a stick to see he was alive was the reason but Strass didn't want to think about it.

"So, you're really Parith Nord?" Strass asked for the third time trying to make small talk.

"Yes." Parith answered.

"I thought your family ran Nord Industries and created MS, not pilot them?" Strass was probing slightly deeper than the last three attempts (which all ended after Parith said 'Yes') seeing if he could pry some information about this guy he's going to be working with.

"The Heavyarms needs to be tested in real combat scenarios before it is set for future mass production." Though the answer was straightforward and didn't really answer Strass' question, but he did noticed that Parith's voice was soft and not as broken as most people of his age. He continued his little interrogation.

"So if you're here then why are Nord Industries still creating weapons for the Titans?"

"I'm not sure. That's something that my father decides. Our deals with the AEUG and Karaba are top secret. Most people think that the MS that we send out here is for a Middle Eastern Alliance contract. But I've been on the colonies with the AEUG for the past few months so my information will be out-of-date."

"Cool. But why did they send you?" Strass was trying to make the conversation last as long as possible since there was another 4 hours before they land.

"My Heavyarms is a prototype unit that has been in the works for a couple of years. My father isn't going to let some stranger take something that he worked so hard on. Plus, it's easier for me to pass back test data to Nord Industries."

"Say, Parith, you got a girlfriend?" Strass asked slyly, deciding to move onto something more light-hearted.

"No, and before you ask, I don't plan on getting one soon or need you to introduce me to one."

"Fine." Strass just realised Parith read him like a book and he only knew him for less than a week, "God, am I really that predictable?"

'Yes' was the answer and both pilots fell silent again.

The cockpit door opened revealing the other pilot, Syuu, who was covered in grease.

"How long before we reach our destination?" He asked bluntly.

"Four hours." Strass answered. The door shut with a clunk while the teenager returned to his repairs.

Strass sighed loudly. Another four hours with these two. _Sheesh_.

-----

It was a normal afternoon for Patrol Beta 2. Two Leos trudged side by side through a valley. Their job was to patrol the rail track at site 238 while keeping a look out for anything suspicious, but once the train passed, the two of them would be relieved of duty.

"Hey, Pierre, did you see that?"

"Non. What did you see?"

"I thought I saw something, something black."

"You must be tired, Roger. Just another 'our before the train gets 'ere."

"Right. OK. WHA-"

The Leo was sliced in half before it could react. The other Leo swung around but it was hit with a hail of bullets. Both pilots were killed before they knew what was going on.

"Nice gun." Strass whistled at the range of the Heavyarm's gatling gun.

"Thanks." Parith answered the compliment, "Our friend should be back with an report of where the trains is about…now."

"The train should be here in 42 minutes and 12 seconds." Syuu's voice came through the laser channel.

The Wing Gundam, in its Bird Mode, circled around the two Gundams before transforming and landing besides Strass' Deathscythe Gundam.

"We should get ready for the ambush." Syuu ordered and began moving the Wing Gundam up the steep hill.

"Who died and made you king?" Strass sounded annoyed. He didn't like to be ordered around.

"Because my unit and I are tactically superior to you and your unit. If during battle a leader is given a weak unit and taken down, the entire squad will fall with him. Plus, my unit has aerial capabilities which will be much better for accessing battle situations and giving orders. But if you want to take charge and let the mission fail, then please, by all means take command."

Strass tried to find fault in Syuu's reasoning but couldn't find any. He mimicked Syuu silently ('My unit has aerial capabilities…') and followed the Wing and Heavyarms up the hill.

Unseen to the three of them a girl, dressed in what seemed like an assortment of camouflaging clothes, was watching them. She moved her dark blue hair behind her ears as the wind blew it in front of the binoculars, blocking her view.

"What the hell are they doing here?"

-----

Mason Graves was alone in the cockpit of his Leo-S. Though he can't see it, the red paint of the mobile suit gave the darkened confines of the train carriage a pink tinge. A clunk now and then told Mason that the train was still moving and not under attack.

"One…two…three…" _Clunk_

The Leos on board the train have been set to silent running mode and strict communications silence until there was an attack. So he's been sat in the cockpit for over 12 hours, getting out now and then to have a snack or when nature called. The train had already completed the first day of the journey and well into the second day. There was a stop during the journey, but none of the pilots were allowed out of their carriages. Mason was a patient man, but a two-day journey with only one stop for refuelling made him slightly agitated.

"One…two…three…" _Clunk_

He began jiggling his leg up and down, an old habit. He wondered what Kathryn White was doing in the next carriage, probably just as bored as he is.

"Should have brought a book or something…you as bored as I am?" Mason mumbled to his mobile suit. It wasn't something a pilot would do with his MS, but Mason was quite attracted to it. The Leo has been with him since he started out as a raw cadet fresh from the academy. Since he was a car mechanic and gave custom jobs to customers before he joined Oz, customising his own Leo was easy.

"One…two…three…" _Clunk_

Maybe it was vain of him to customise it and give it a red paintjob, but his superiors liked it. Coupled with expert piloting skills, he was transferred to the Quest Squad as a full Lieutenant and as field mechanic.

_Wonder what James, Mark and the newbie, Marigbo is doing in their carriages at the back?_

"One…two…three…" _Clunk_

Mason tapped his fingers on the controls of the Leo and began to sing an old Japanese song to himself.

"Ima koso tachiagare, sadame no senshi yo. Inazuma no tsurugi de, teki wo kechirase."

_Clunk_

"Yasuragi wo yume miru, hagane no yuusha yo. Mamoru beki mirai to ai wo shinjite."

He waited for the clunk, but it never came.

-----

Riken Holm took a sip of tea. The journey has been, thus far, uneventful. Being a former soldier and pilot, he still longed for the time when he was out on the front lines. Memories like those, one would have to cherish forever.

The countryside seemed to melt and become blurred as the train hurtles past. Every so often a large green leg of a Leo would speed past his window. He sighed and picked up a sugar cube. Riken stared at the compressed block of sugar, mesmerised at the perfection of it. He dropped it carefully into the delicate teacup and stirred it around, watching it melt into nothingness.

He thought that the sugar cube was like life. One minute, there is order, cohesion, and solidarity between all the separate sugar grains; and yet, when dropped into water, they all fall apart and disappear. Just like humans. One minute we are united and then, when disaster occurs, we fall apart we try and save ourselves. And in doing so, we inexplicably end our own existence.

"We are such selfish beings…" Riken muttered at the teacup, thinking out loud.

"Pardon me, your Excellency?" A young girl, dressed in a maid's uniform, asked. She would have fallen asleep if Riken hadn't spoke.

"Oh? No, don't worry." Riken realised that he said something, "Why don't you take a rest? Standing there for several hours just looking after me must be a boring job."

"Not at all, your Excellency." The maid thought she was in trouble, "It is a pleasure serving you, sir. I promise to be more alert."

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble. Go on, take a break. Go, I won't tell anyone." Riken shooed the maid off. It was as much for her getting a rest as it was for him getting some privacy. He took another sip of the cooled tea and looked out of the window at the blurred world rushing past.

After what seemed like ten minutes, Riken felt that he was being forced forwards out of his chair. The train was slowing down.

Riken picked up the telephone receiver on the table and was instantly connected to the train driver.

"Why are we slowing down?"

A man with a very horse Scottish voice answered,

"Just some debris on the track, your Excellency. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes to clear it."

"I see. Please, take your time. There is no hurry." Riken put down the receiver and took another sip of tea.

-----

"The train's stopped."

Parith looked through the binoculars again from the open cockpit of his kneeling Heavyarms Gundam. Syuu extended his arm and Parith threw the binoculars to him.

"Hmm…" Syuu's mind carefully assessed every inch of the train down below in the valley. Its position, its carriages, the crosswinds, the landscape etcetera; hoping that it'll give him and his new comrades some advantage against possible surprises.

"Look, they've got Leos stored in the rear compartments." Syuu pointed out as the rear four carriages of the 20-carriage train opened up and revealing three dull green Leo mobile suits.

"Well, well, well," Strass mused, "Aires, ten o'clock doing sweeps of the surrounding area. Lets just hope the Hyper Jammers and the camouflage can hide us well enough, otherwise Parith's orange and red suit's gonna stand out like a sore thumb." Yet again, Strass' ramblings went unnoticed by the other two pilots. They were talking as if Strass wasn't there.

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?"

"No." Syuu replied, "I can see Riken's personalised carriage, but there's something odd about its shape. It seems different somehow."

"Does it matter? Can't you just blast it with your rifle?"

"No, I need to confirm that Riken is on that carriage. He has a personal locator beckon, which shows his location. The frequency of its signal changes everyday and I know what frequency signal it is set to today. But Wing's computer isn't picking it up."

"So?"

Parith joined in the conversation, "If we don't have the signal, how can we be sure that Riken's on the train."

"So if you can keep your mouth shut for more than 5 minutes, Goth boy, I might be able to see if I can locate it." Syuu finished with a scathing tone.

By this point, Strass' patience with Parith and Syuu ran out. When that happens, his brain switches itself off and lets his butt take over. It is never good when that happens.

"Locator, my arse." Strass suddenly sounded very British since his late father was a middle-class Englishman who migrated to the colonies. He climbed back into the cockpit of the Gundam Deathscythe and the hatch shut behind him.

The Deathscythe was already making its way down the valley when Syuu and Parith clambered back into their suits. Syuu swore loudly as he should have taken into account Strass' impulsiveness. This miscalculation can completely ruin the ambush. But now, there was no choice except to follow Strass' lead and charge down the valley.

It didn't take long for the Oz pilots to realise that there was an ambush as a barrage of missiles from the Heavyarms instantly destroyed one of the Leos. When the three remaining Leos rushed forwards, ten more compartments on the train opened revealing a Leo in each. As they stood up, the scene of the Deathscythe slicing apart a Leo awaited them.

In the skies above, Syuu's Wing Gundam was conducting aerial combat with the Aries and their carriers.

Soon, the sounds of explosions filled the valley and the blue skies above.

-----

Mason wondered why the train stopped as he tapped his laser radio to see if he can hear some comm. traffic, even though there was communications silence. There was none.

As anxiety began to settle in, the sound of a loud explosion outside rattled his Leo and the entire carriage. It was close. Not sure what to do, he decided to break communication silence and opened a laser comm. channel to Kathryn in the next carriage.

"Hey, Kath, any idea what's going on outside?"

Kathryn White's voice came through loud and clear in his headphones, "No idea. Maybe we should move out."

"As much as I want to, we haven't got orders to do so."

"When did you get so textbook? Aaaahhh!" Kathryn let out a small scream as the sound of another explosion rocked the train; this one was even closer than the last.

Just as Mason was about to move out without orders, the sound of another woman came through his headphones: Sylvia Tyme.

"All Leos in Locomotive One, prepare to move out! The carriage should be open within 10 seconds. The Leos already out should provide you with cover."

_About damn time._ Mason thought angrily.

The roof of the carriage carrying Mason's Leo slowly split in two and opened, showing the bright daylight and a clear blue sky that was scared with dark smoke from destroyed Aires.

Standing up, the Leo-S's red paint job made it stand out from the rest of the green Leos. The gold plating on parts of its body reflected the sunlight, which shone majestically. When the Leo-S was totally upright, it was facing a bright blue and gold Leo, the Leo-R. It was much more sleeker than his Leo and the standard Leo, with a much more feminine touch to it. Along its back was a large piece of armour that was similar to hair on a human, that and the high-heeled feet of the Leo completed Kathryn's idea of a perfect Leo.

Grabbing the beam sabre and a specially made beam rifle stored in the train carriage, both suits rushed into the chaotic battle of Leo verses Gundam.

Something was amiss.

When all the Leos stepped out of their carriages, Mason looked around to survey the battlefield situation. As he turned the Leo-S around on its waist, he saw something that shocked and confused him. He was standing in the carriage that his Excellency Riken Holm was supposed to be in.

_What the hell! Where is his Excellency? What was my Leo being stored in his carriage for? Where's the rest of the team? Those Leos are Temple Squad's!_

His questions all faded as a wall of missile and bullets from the attackers flew towards him, making him jump out clear of the train.

When Kathryn cleared the train, she joined in the barrage of bullets and beams against the black Gundam, the Deathscythe. Remembering to jump away from her original position every time she fired her rifle, her Leo sped across the grassy ground in the valley, dodging fire from the enemy and her panicking comrades.

She hadn't noticed that the carriage with his Excellency Holm was a decoy.

The hail of bullets and beams did not seem to stop the black gothic Gundam as it still tore through the frontline of Leos defending the train with ease. When the Deathscythe destroyed its fourth Leo, it came face to face with the Leo-R. Surprised that the Gundam could move so quickly, Kathryn fired her rifle directly at the Gundam's chest and then did an aerobatic back flip away from it and firing the rifle again at the Deathscythe's previous position when she landed. The Gundam was gone.

"What the f-!" Kathryn dropped her rifle and ignited her beam sabre, just in time, to block a deadly slash from the Deathscythe's beam scythe. The beams collided with such tremendous force that it pushed both mobile suits away from each other. While Kathryn righted her Leo-R; Aires reinforcements, ones that managed to get away from the Wing Gundam, began laying down a barrage of bullets on the Deathscythe, forcing it away from the Leo squads.

Though Mason was still dazed from the fact that HQ deliberately misled all the pilots from the start of the mission, he decides to keep on fighting. That way, he'll be pissed enough to kill whoever's idea this was. Seeing Kathryn was having fun with the black Gundam, Mason thought he'd join in the party by boosting into the air towards the orange Gundam that was spamming bullets at him. Believing that the suit was without long-range capabilities, Mason ignited his beam sabre and hacked directly at the Gundam. But to his surprise, the Gundam parried it with a small hidden Swiss Army knife in its right arm.

-----

"Syuu, Strass, Riken is not on the train. I repeat Riken is not on the train!" Parith shouted as he pushed away from the red Leo. How could he be so foolish into thinking that Riken wouldn't have foreseen this? What should he do now? Enemy reinforcements are coming from the air in the form of more Leos, what the hell are they going to do now?

In the skies, three bright flashes of yellow meant that Syuu had expended his buster rifle's ammo and now going hand-to-hand with the remaining Aires.

Firing the Gatling gun, Parith finished another Leo, which promptly exploded. The drone from the gun suddenly died out and replaced with a clicking noise.

_Dammit, no more ammo._

Jumping backwards towards Strass' Deathscythe, Parith's Heavyarms deployed its entire arsenal of missiles at the Leos, destroying two and covering the entire area with dust and smoke. Both Gundams backed into each other, waiting for the smoke to clear. Syuu's Wing Gundam soon joined them as it descended from the skies with its wing damaged again and spewing out black smoke that swirled into the dust. He had finished off the Aires that originally protected the train, but it seemed that more was on the way.

Oz was sending in armies of suits against them. The only way to defeat a superior enemy is with superior numbers.

Amber coloured squares could be seen shining through the clearing debris. The three pilots were trapped. Backed up against the tall slope of the valley and facing dozens of Leos with new Aires reinforcements circling then like vultures. The red Leo-S and the blue Leo-R standing out in all that green.

Strass, who had been shouting insults at the attacking him fell silent and muttered only one thing:

"Ah, f."

-----

Deep within the steep hills of the valley and unseen to Oz or the Gundam pilots, a small plateau and a cave remained hidden under large quantities of mesh and camouflage. Outside were a dozen figures, dressed in green, observed the battle below in the belly of the valley. The group comprised mainly of men, but two small female figures were amongst them. One of the men peered through a pair of binoculars before handing it to the slightly tanned one of the two girls.

"You were right, Kalyn. Those are the MS from the AEUG."

"Heh, told ya so." She said smugly and put the binoculars to her eyes, "Aislin, what do you think we should do?"

The other girl was staring fixatedly at the raging battle above her, her eyes dashed around in its socket trying to keep up with the winged mobile suit. Finally, when the last Aires exploded into a million pieces, the winged suit swooped down into the valley floor. Though it was just a millisecond, Aislin saw the suit's shape and colour and whispered,

"Granddaddy…"

"Aislin? Hey, sleepy head! Wake up!"

Aislin was jotted from her thoughts by Kalyn and shot her a very dirty look.

"WHAT!"

"Take it easy." Kalyn backed up slightly, "Those suits are surrounded. Think we should go help?"

Aislin thought about this for a moment. She never did like the AEUG. Even though they were allies against the Earth governments, the AEUG always saw them as superior to the Karaba. Just because the AEUG has most of the funding and better equipment doesn't mean that they should treat the Karaba like second-rate soldiers.

"No. Leave them. Didn't you say that the black one charged in there? If they got themselves into this mess then they should get themselves out." Aislin said coldly and stood up, ready to leave.

As he stood up, the other men also picked themselves off the floor and began making their way to the cave, leaving only Kalyn and another man, who wore a green flack jacket and with his blonde hair tied in a piggy tail.

"Miss Blair..." He called after her.

"What is it _now_, Josh?" She answered, impatiently.

"Isn't the winged MS one of your grandfather's designs?"

Aislin didn't want to admit it, but she knew Joshua better than anyone, and he is usually right.

"What about it?"

"Shouldn't it be in Japan?" He replied while still watching the cornered Gundams. It seemed that the battle has momentarily stopped.

"So?"

"Well, if its supposed to be there, then why is it here?"

"So?"

"Don't you get it? Something is wrong. These three suits aren't supposed to be here!" Joshua began sounding agitated.

"So you mean they're on a different mission?"

"Exactly. Unless we hear it from the pilots themselves, we'll never know why they came here."

Aislin sighed. She knew where this conversation was going.

"OK, OK. You win." Aislin turned to her troops, "Alright Karaba and Maganacs, we need to get those suits out of here. Tim, get to your Zeta on the other side of the hill and take care of any Aires. Josh, I want long-range support fire from up here while the Maganacs and I will take care of the Leos. Understood?"

There was an unilateral "YES, M'AM" and the pilots all ran to their suits hidden in the cave.

-----

Mason smiled when he saw the three Gundams surrounded by Leos. From what he had heard, these suits were almost invincible; but from what he experienced today he was slightly disappointed.

The three Gundams stood back-to-back, with their melee weapons drawn, like trapped rats bearing their teeth. It would have been simple for the Leos to destroy them, but the Oz pilots inside them wanted to savour this moment before striking the final blow.

Mason felt that the other Leos were waiting for his orders, decided to see if the pilots would surrender. It would be a shame to kill such talented people and destroy those suits. He opened an International Communications Channel to the three Gundams.

"This is Lieutenant Mason Graves of the Oz mobile company, Quest. You are surrounded. I am giving you a chance to surrender your suits. If you do so, I shall see to it that you are given a fair trial at Oz Headquarters." Mason had never before felt more confident. It was a win-win situation. Either the pilots surrender and he captures three of the most advanced Mobile Suits ever made; or the pilots continue fighting, which will lead to their eventual destruction.

A voice answered back to him on the same frequency. It sounded like a young teenager's voice.

"We will not surrender."

"Surrender would not be an option." Came another voice.

"Yeah! We'll beat you all the way back to your mamas! You all smell!" Came another voice.

"OK…" Mason wasn't really expecting the last comment, "Then you leave us no choice. All squads at-" A large explosion behind Mason flung his red Leo forwards into two green Leos, which resulted in a large pile-up.

"MAGANAC AND KARABA SUITS AT SIX O'CL-AAAAGGGGHH!" An Aires pilot shouted through the communications link before a beam from a fast red Zeta Plus A1 pierced his cockpit.

-----

In Oz Headquarters, stationed at Madrid, Sylvia Tyme and several generals stood round a large table with a virtual map of the entire valley showing the battle between the Gundams and Oz forces.

Three red dots darted around the map while dozens of green dots were moving around clumsily and disappeared as their signals were lost. Soon the dots stopped moving and the three red dots were surrounded by the green dots.

"Looks like our forces are victorious." A bearded Oz general gloated. The gold embroidery on his uniform glistened thanks to the light from the map.

"What are those?" Another general pointed to the map as a dozen yellow dots appeared out of nowhere.

Sylvia Tyme turned to the operator who was sitting on a platform above the map.

"Those are Karaba and Maganac suits, sir." Was the reply.

"No matter, we can still win." One of the general suggested.

"Yes, we still outnumber them three to one." Another countered, "What do you suggest we do, Miss Tyme?"

"Retreat." She replied dryly.

"WHY! We can't retreat now, we still outnumber them! We CAN win!" A general in a green uniform slammed his hands down onto the table.

"No." Sylvia said coolly, trying not to display too much emotion in front of the fools in front of her, "His excellency Holm has given me orders to pull back out forces if the Karaba appear. Is that a good enough reason for you, General?"

The general relaxed his posture, realising that Sylvia had outflanked him. Giving in to the inevitable, he ordered the retreat with a grim look on his face.

-----

"YYYYEEEHHHHHAAAAA!"

The red Zeta Plus A1 ploughed through another Aires that wasn't watching its back. Tim was an Ace fighter pilot back during his time in the Titans. He would have stayed with them if it weren't for the atrocity at Jenius. Though it was his first time handling the new Zeta sent to the Karaba by Nord Industries, he handled it like a pro.

On the plateau, a red Guncannon Magna continuously fired shells into the group of Leos, being careful not to hit the Gundams or the Maganacs. Its pilot, Joshua Dean Revere, was having difficulty aiming the cannons. He preferred his old white G-Cannon to this red atrocity from Nord Industries. Fumbling around with the controls, he fired off another round down into the valley, hoping he didn't hit any wrong targets. In the telescopic targeting scanner, a glint of blue amongst the brown Maganacs showed the Hyaku Shiki charging into the chaotic battle.

_She's too impulsive…maybe its rubbing off on us._

In the confines of the confusion, Maganacs, Leos, Gundams and the Hyaku Shiki was fighting hand to hand. Though Oz outnumbered the Karaba and the Gundams three to one, but the Karaba was putting up one hell of a fight.

Whilst Aislin rushed past the grunt Leos trying to find the Oz Commander Type Leos, her heart grinned when she saw the Maganacs suits, especially Kayln's, pummel several green Leos with their modified hands and leaving nothing except a mangled mass of metal. Seeing that the closest commander type Leo was a blue one to her left fighting with the black Gundam, Aislin boosted her blue mobile suit into the air.

Drawing the Hyaku's beam sabre as it descended, Aislin hoped to cleave the Leo in half before its pilot knew what was going on. She should have known better.

The glare from the gold paint on her suit caught the attention of the blue Leo's pilot. Dodging right, Aislin's Hyaku Shiki not only missed her target, but the momentum caused her to crash right into the black Gundam, leaving the two in a crumpled mess.

"F!" Aislin yelled out from her cockpit. The limbs of her Hyaku were tangled with the limbs of the black Gundam, paralysing both suits. The blue Leo, however, picked up a dropped beam rifle and pointed directly at the Hyaku's cockpit. Aislin could hear a female voice in her headset; it was the pilot of the blue Leo.

"When you reach hell, tell the Devil that Kathryn White sent you to him."

-----

A single sweat drop trickled down Aislin's face. Staring down into the barrel of the beam rifle made her remember her father and mother. She was only fifteen when Oz began its eradication of potential political adversaries in Europe. Her father was the most senior member of the Karaba Resistance cell in Romania, coordinating missions with other Karaba members for a free East Europe. Aislin remembered listening to her father plan attacks on Oz bases with men almost every week. The Karaba poured their hearts and souls into freeing those countries, they didn't care about themselves. Aislin was proud of her father, she was proud to be his daughter.

Then, one night, the soldiers came to her house. Someone had given Oz a list of Karaba members; someone had betrayed the entire Romanian resistance cell. Aislin was lucky as she was in the next room when the shooting began. She could hear the sound of machine guns mowing down both her parents. She barely managed to escape out of the window before the soldiers kicked the door down.

She ran and ran, remembering her father's words:

_If the soldiers come for us, Aislin, run. Don't look back. If you can make it to the tavern, you will find people who will help you._

Those were the last thing that her father said to her and it was those words that saved her life. And now, she was about to be shot.

_Dad, mum, I'm coming…_

She thought as she prepared for the beam rifle to fire.

"WOOOOOHOOOOO!"

A huge cannon smashed into the side of the blue Leo with Josh's G-Cannon Magna tackling it to the ground, bringing up a tremendous dust cloud. It all happened so fast, Aislin didn't have a clue what was going on.

-----

Kathryn struggled to get the Leo-R back onto its feet. She felt that she was mugged. She was about to make the kill, but fate snatched it out of her hands.

Cursing under her breath, she realised that she had lost the beam rifle and there was no way she was going to be able to find it in the dust cloud.

A familiar female voice began speaking in her headphones. It was Silvia Tyme.

"ALL UNITS RETREAT TO POINT 298. I REPEAT, ALL UNITS RETREAT TO POINT 298."

"What!" Kathryn yelled into her headset.

"Come on, Kath, let's go." Mason's voice crackled through Kathryn's headphones, "There's no point arguing with the lady."

-----

The Karaba and Gundam pilots watched while the hordes of Leos and Aires took off towards the south of the valley. Leaving them confused and relieved.

The red G-Cannon Magna walked up to the Deathscythe Gundam and Hyaku Shiki, which were still tangled together.

"What are you going to do without me?" Josh's smiling face appeared on a monitor inside Aislin's cockpit.

Aislin turned a bright shade of pink when she heard those words.

"Oh, shut up, Josh. Are you gonna help me or what?"

-----

Two bright blue lights left trails of bright vapour behind them in the darkness around them as they spun and dashed through space. One white and one blue, the two soldier like mobile suits twisted and turned around set way points at a tremendous speed. The two units were identical apart from their paintjob.

Suddenly, two dark blue space type Leos appeared in their path. Both suits drew their beam sabres and sliced the Leos in two as they sped past, turning both Leos into bright yellow balls of flames. The arm movement was so fast; it seemed that the two suit just flew past the Leos. Stopping at the final waypoint, steam poured out of the vents in the chest and face of the units.

The pilot in the white unit panted heavily. His body trying to recover from the G-forces the mobile suit inflicted onto it.

"Hey, Richard, you OK?" The pilot of the blue unit asked.

"Yeah, I'm OK Vincent." Richard replied.

"These Geminass units are really something."

"Yeah." Richard answered, still trying to catch his breath.

Out of the darkness, a huge fortress moved closer to the two units. The giant beam cannon on its face were the most powerful in the Earth-Moon System. Barge, as it was called, was the home to the Oz Space Forces.

"This is Barge to Vincent de la Norrio and Richard de la Bretonne, please report back to hanger bay 02 with Geminass units 01 and 02 for refuelling and analysis. Barge out." A female communications officer ordered.

Both units' booster activated and blasted towards the gigantic fortress.


	9. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: A Hero's Return**

"Ship's log, 2015 hours, 18th April CY089. Rika Matsumoto.

An uneventful day. The relocation of crew from the other ships has been successful. The medical staff are currently having a shortage of supplies, but that shouldn't be a problem now that we are in range of Grenada. We haven't received any word on whether the Londo Bell fleet will be integrated into another battle group or reformed with new ships. I hope they decide quickly. The York's engines are operating at around 58 efficiency and the starboard launch catapult is now sectioned off with minor repairs being done but we would need to be in dry dock to do any major repairs."

She sighed and put down the ship's general report on her desk. Tilting her head, she noticed a framed photograph next to her computer. Reaching out, Rika picked it up and gazed at the people within it.

She recognised herself immediately, standing at the front of the group. Then there was Paul Ransom, her tactical officer; Hana Trinkov, York's sensor and communications officer; Michael Li, the ship's head gunner and many others. Then there was the old man standing beside her. His dark beard covered most of his face while his EUF cap covered up his eyes. It was Admiral Londo Bell.

"It won't be the same without you, old man." Rika continued, leaning back on her chair while still staring at the photograph, reminiscing of her past missions with him.

"End log entry."

-----

Tyan Long Wang perched himself on the ledge of the mess hall window and gazed out towards the moon. His face filled with gloom.

The Londo Bell Fleet, or what was left of it, drifted sluggishly towards the EUF Grenada Moon base. Though Grenada officially is the EUF's Space Fleet HQ, it technically belonged to the Titans. The Titans loaned the base to the EUF when it was first formed however they reserved the right to use the base as they pleased, occasionally making certain modifications to it.

It was a miracle that only one ship exploded on the way back from the ambush by the Crossbone Vanguard. All that was left from the fleet was the York, the lead Argama-Class battleship and two smaller and older Magellan-Class cruisers. The corridors of the four ships were packed with crews of the ships that couldn't make the trip back; injured men and women groaned as they tried their best to be comfortable on the hard floor. Morale was at an all time low; even though no one admitted it, the darkened bags under each member of the crew's eyes and their vacant faces said everything.

Sieg Garland squeezed his way through the crowded mess hall with two packs of water and joined his despondent friend.

"Cheer up, Tyan," Sieg handed the pack to Tyan, "At least we got back in one piece."

Tyan, still looking downcast, gulped down the water all at once and returned to stare out of the window.

"Can't believe that we got caught in an ambush."

"You can't blame yourself for that." Sieg leaned on the ledge next to Tyan.

"Can't I? How many pilots died because of my bad planning? Ten? Twenty? Fifty? Then there's the crew of the ships. It was so obvious that they'd set a trap for us. How the hell didn't I see it?" Tyan sighed.

Sieg didn't answer. He knew how Tyan was; it was better to let him sort it out by himself. 

Looking up at the moon, the Grenada base was now quite visible with its communications antennae and outer defence structures. Sieg noticed several new satellite dishes were built from the last time he was at Grenada but he put that small detail aside.

-----

"Admiral Pasture, sir, three ships from the Londo Bell fleet are requesting permission to dock. Captain Matsumoto says that they ran into an ambush and lost most of their fleet." A stern Lieutenant Colonel reported.

Fleet Admiral Pasture didn't reply. A pair of round glasses rested precariously on the tip of his nose seemingly about to fall but found the strength to clench on. His eyes shifted from left to right across his computer screen reading the daily reports sent to him by all departments. He was looking at the words but not reading them.

Most parts of his day have been filled with one crisis after another. First was power failure in sector 2, then it was a burst water tank that flooded a residential section and now he's reading that hangar bay 3 is to be sealed off for some Titans operation. But nothing that day compared to what he received on his computer that morning.

How long has it been since he heard _those_ two names? Half a year? A year? However long it was, receiving a message from them came as a surprise. He had wondered whether those are still alive after the battle at Acteria. If it weren't for them he wouldn't be here reading daily reports but be strewn across space in millions of pieces.

He was only a rear Admiral then. After the destruction of Acteria his Magellan cruiser was being harassed by several GINNs with no friendly MS for support. When it looked like the GINNs were about to go for the kill, out of nowhere _they_ appeared. Darting around in what looked like pink fighters, they destroyed the GINNs in no more than 30 seconds, saving his ship. As the Magellan cruiser left the combat zone, he heard something. It wasn't a voice but rather a thought that slipped into his mind.

"Remember the names Nicolas and Joseph Fin."

And then the two MS just boosted off into deep space.

Those names stuck with Admiral Pasture ever since. He got an odd feeling of dread every time that he remembered the experience and secretly hoped that he would never see or hear from them again.

"Admiral?"

He just remembered that the Colonel was standing in front of him.

"Yes." He jerked his eyes away from the computer monitor.

"There are three damaged ships from the Londo Bell Fleet requesting to dock for repairs, sir."

_Oh God, they're actually here._ A minute voice squeaked within the Admiral's soul.

Admiral Pasture contemplated his predicament, either to ignore what the message or to do what they told him to do. Ignoring the message would be the best but there was something about Nicolas and Joseph Fin that made him fear them.

"Bring them in. I want those three ships to be locked down and have security place the all the senior officers under arrest."

The colonel hesitated for a moment, about to question his superior's sudden decision.

"Is there a problem, colonel?" Admiral Pasture looked up. His eyes staring menacingly at the colonel.

"Um, no sir. I'll alert security straight away."

He saluted and marched out the Admiral's office briskly. As soon as the colonel left, Admiral Pasture sank into his leather chair in despair. He had become a traitor.

-----

A trail of laser guidance beams led the three battered ships into the vast complex beneath the lunar surface. Unlike the outer grey and dull structures, the base interior was bright, almost luminescent, with bustling arrays of machines and people in normal suits (a name for space suits after the invention of mobile suits) all working toward a common goal of maintaining the base and its visitors. The entire hangar was filled with a deafening silence. If there had been air the noise of the ship's engines, shouting and mechanical whirring would be overwhelming.

Wiz Earo stood on the bridge of the York and watched as it descend into the bowels of Granada. He stretched his arms upwards and yawned as if waking up from a nap.

"I never thought I'd say I'm glad to be back in this hell hole."

"Language, captain." Rika warned him with a smile. The tension and stress on the bridge seemed to melt way into nothingness as the thought of safety within the confines of Grenada settled into their minds. The ship's helmsman brought the York in slowly and placed it between another Argama-class and a Salamis-class ship and the hum of the engines died down to a low drone.

It seemed odd that there were so many mechanics in the hangar area but it didn't really bother the bridge crew. The door at the back of the bridge slid open and Tyan and Sieg floated in. Tyan was in a better mood now that the ship was docked and about to be connected to Grenada.

"Is it me or are there more people out there than usual?" Hana, the York's communications officer mumbled.

Paul Ransom, the ship's tactical officer, eyed one of the people outside the ship as he floated past the main view screen. As the man was floating above the view screen, a glint of grey caught Paul's eye.

"My god, they're carrying machine guns!" He exclaimed loudly. His words sent a wave of dread through everyone who heard it.

"Captain, I'm receiving a transmission from Grenada control." Hana reported.

"What do they want?"

Hana paused a second and patched through the message into the speakers,

"This is Fleet Admiral Pasture to all Londo Bell Fleet ships. Prepare to be boarded by EUF soldiers. Do not resist them. They have authorisation to shoot any and all crew members who retaliate."

The sound of footsteps could be heard from behind the door leading onto the bridge. They opened to reveal a dozen EUF soldiers wearing gas masks. They barged onto the bridge shouting 'Put your hands up!', 'Stand up!' and other orders to the bewildered crew. As soon as the bridge was secure, an EUF soldier with a Penguin insignia on his arm walked casually onto the bridge. He removed his gas mask to reveal a cleanly shaven, but glum face. 

"Captain Rika Matsumoto?" He enquired with a sigh, he obviously wasn't pleased at being called at such short notice to invade a battleship, "I'm Sergeant Major Siegfried Reinable. Admiral Pasture has ordered me, or should I say _us_ to arrest all senior officers. So if you,…" He looked around the room and laid his eyes upon the captain's insignia on Wiz, Tyan and Sieg's uniforms, "…you three…" he pointed at Hana in the corner, "…and you would like to come with me, please. The rest of the crew are to stay onboard their ships."

Tyan, Sieg, Wiz and Hana all turned to Rika as if asking for permission to leave. She gave them a small nod and followed Sergeant Reinable off the bridge.

-----

Admiral Pasture stood with his hands behind his back looking out of the large window in the Grenada hangar control room. He was accompanied by a small group of high-ranking officers and surrounded by operations crew going about their daily routine. They watched the three Londo Bell ships dock and the soldiers swarm around them, but only Admiral Pasture knew that this was all a complete farce.

"Sir," a young communications officer who sat in front of Pasture reported, "Group 3, 4 and 5 are reporting that they need more men to cover the York and the Southampton."

"Move the security from Hangar 3. The Titans can cover their own asses." Pasture replied.

"Yes, sir."

_There, done. I hope those two are happy. I moved troops away from Hangar 3 and arrested the Londo Bell officers._ Pasture thought to himself.

An operator to his left stood up immediately after his thought. Pasture didn't pay much attention to him but as the man reached the door, a familiar voice spoke in Pasture's mind. It was the same voice that spoke to him during the battle of Acteria and the same voice that he dreaded.

_Thank you Admiral. Just keep the Londo Bell officers busy and keep security to the Titan hangar to a minimum; you will have nothing to worry about._

Pasture spun around, only to see the door slide close. He glanced at the other officers in the room as he turned back around and found that they were all giving him very strange looks.

"Sir, are you sure you want to do this?" One of the Vice Admirals leaned over Pasture's shoulder, "I mean no disrespect sir, but how can we be sure that they are really AEUG terrorists?"

"Ahem." He let out a fake cough, "How can we be sure that they're not? Better to keep them under lock and key until we can ascertain who they really are."

"Fine, sir."

"Get meeting hall 2 ready. We'll use that for the hearing." Pasture ordered and walked out of the control room quickly, hoping to avoid more penetrating questions from his subordinates.

-----

Three hours, or so the officers currently held in a prison thought, had passed by. Tyan, who felt agitated, paced continuously around the darkened cell, occasionally stepping over Wiz or Sieg's legs.

"Sit down, Tyan. Unless you want to wear away the floor so that we can escape, you're really helping anyone." A male voice said. The cell was so dark, Tyan wasn't sure who said it and continued pacing.

Rika and Hana were kept in a cell by themselves on the other side the prison section. Hana felt cold and afraid, it was as though the blood had been drained from her body leaving only an empty shell, her auburn hair draped across her shoulders onto her weary face. She was still green and sat on the hard bed with her legs tucked up to her chest while trying to keep close to her captain. Rika on the other hand was preoccupied with her own thoughts. She disliked being kept in the dark about anything and situations like this annoyed her intensely.

The door to Rika and Hana's cell opened and the light from the outer corridor flooded into the room. Two armed guards followed by Sergeant Reinable stood outside. He scraped his feet along the floor while eying the two female prisoners with a certain level of distain. The glumness was still there within his face but his voice didn't show it.

"It's really a shame that fine officers like you decides to turn on the EUF. I've heard so many good things about Admiral Londo Bell and his fleet." Siegfried said.

"What the hell do you want?" Rika demanded, standing up from the bed.

"Admiral Pasture has requested your presence for the trial, or rather a hearing...you know court martial kind."

"On what charge!" Rika yelled out in surprise and confusion.

"Oh just treason, murder, insubordination, mutiny etcetera. Nothing too light."

Rika was taken aback by it all. Nothing made sense to her. Had the EUF turned on them? Ever since her last mission, nothing made sense anymore.

"Come along, Captain," Siegfried continued. The corner of his mouth quivered slightly as if to smile, "Admiral Pasture isn't normally a patient man. Don't worry, we'll be bring along your crew as well."

Composing herself, Rika decided there was really nothing she can do now except to see how this farce plays out. She helped Hana up onto her feet and followed Siegfried out of the cell. Tyan, Sieg and Wiz joined them with several other officers of the other Londo Bell ships in the darkened corridor with their hands cuffed behind their backs. They were herded out like cattle.

-----

"Captain Matsumoto, are you the commander of the three ships that returned from the Angola Shoal Zone?"

The meeting room was well lit. Four high-ranking officers, including Admiral Pasture, sat behind a long oak table staring down on the indicted officers as judges. The lines on their faces showed experience and wisdom but to Rika they were only the signs of betrayal. The Londo Bell officers were placed in front of the pseudo judges at a simple metallic table. None of the others spoke a single word apart from a grey haired man.

Yes sir was the reply.

"Captain Matsumoto this court charges you and your senior officers of mutiny, insubordination, treason and first degree murder of the crews on the other Londo Bell ships. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty." She answered.

"I presume that you answer for all the officers here?"

Rika nodded. The old officer noted something down on a piece of paper before reaching for something underneath the large wooden table and brought up a bulging folder full of paper and placed it carefully down on the table. He opened up the folder and retrieved a single sheet and read it carefully, all the while ignoring the fact that everyone in the room sat in an uncomfortable silence.

"Captain Matsumoto," One of the younger high ranking officers with greying black hair with a face that was full of freckled at the end of the table began spoke, "Are you familiar with article 1 of the EUF constitution?"

"Yes sir."

"And may I presume that you and your crew are all familiar with it too?"

"Yes sir." There was a slight tone of confusion in Rika's voice as she tried to figure out why she was being asked these questions.

"Then I can safely say that you know that the EUF was created to preserve the peace of the Earth-Moon system? And it is not our position to align ourselves to any government or faction, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Then why," The man said quietly, "Are you and the Londo Bell forces been colluding with the AEUG?" He slammed his fist down on the table startling all of the Londo Bell officers.

"Not only that," The officer continued in a loud hardened voice, "You betrayed your own comrades to the AEUG by aiding them in the ambush in your previous mission!" He slammed his fist down on the table.

"That's a lie!" Wiz shouted out.

"Order!" Admiral Pasture bellowed to keep the court calm, "Captain Earo, I would advise you to remain silent. And Malcolm, calm down."

"I'm sorry. I just can't stand traitors. Admiral Bell would be spinning in his grave."

That comment was like a spike through Rika's very soul. Every member of the Londo Bell Fleet was loyal and was willing to do anything that Admiral Bell asked of them. She wanted to spring up off her seat and floor the man but her mind stopped her when she saw most of the other Londo Bell officers about to something similar.

"What evidence do you have?" Rika said before anyone did anything foolish.

"I'm glad that you asked." The officer who remained silent throughout the session said and took out from underneath the table a large binder.

"Ensign Hana Trinkov," The officer asked as he flicked through the binder, "Are you aware of all transmissions on and off the York?"

"Yes, sir." She said back in a quiet trembling voice.

"So then is it true that there was a message sent somewhere into the Lohar Shoal Zone just before the Londo Bell Fleet left Grenada?"

"What?"

"I said did you or one of your fellow crewmen send a message into the Lohar Shoal Zone?" He said eyeing Hana very carefully.

"No, sir." Her voice was becoming quieter and quieter.

"Then why did the Grenada transmissions tower intercept a message being sent from the York to the Lohar Shoal Zone? Isn't it where the EUF suspect that the AEUG terrorists' HQ is based? So I'm asking you, Ensign Trinkov, did you or did you not send a message to the AEUG?"

"Objection! You that evidence is inconclusive, it might have been just a routine sensor signal." Sieg protested.

"May I remind you, Captain Garland, that you do not have the right to object to our questions. We have reviewed the questions thoroughly and have deemed them to be fair." Admiral Pasture said in a firm voice, "Also, it is up to us to decide whether the evidence given supports the accusations or dismiss them. So no more further outbursts or I will have you removed from the hearing."

Sieg heaved slumped back into his chair in frustration.

"Ensign Trinkov," The officer continued where he left off, "Did you or did you not send a message to the AEUG?"

"There-there-" Hana stuttered out, "There was a message sent out to the Lohar Shoal Zone. But-but I thought it was just a malfunction in the internal communications grid."

"So are you saying even though you are the head communications officers on the York, yet you did not monitor all outbound communications carefully?"

"I didn't me-mean that, sir."

"Then does that mean you found the signal and didn't report it to a higher authority or check it with another department for confirmation that it was just a malfunction?"

"No, sir."

The judges shook their heads at this apart from Admiral Pasture who was staring intently at Rika. His mind focused solely on the thought of what Nicholas and Joseph Fin wanted the Londo Bell officers dead. What could these people sat in front of him have known to warrant such drastic action? What ever the answer was he had a task to complete.

"Fine. Captain Rika," Admiral Pasture flipped through a piece of paper that Rika saw marked 'SENSOR DATA', "According to your report and the sensor data from your ships, it is said that you left the Salamis-Class ships Uganda and Otto behind while you escaped the battle-zone, correct?"

"Yes, sir." Rika knew exactly where this was going.

"Is there a reason why those two ships were left behind while the York, the Southampton and the Shanghai escaped?"

"Sir, have you even seen the damage that was inflicted on our ships? We lost twenty seven crewmen during that battle. If you are implying that we left the Otto and Uganda there to be destroyed then why the hell would we have picked up the remaining survivors from the ship's MS compliment and crew?" Rika protested.

"But that doesn't excuse the fact that you left those two ships, who's crews were still onboard out for the enemy while _you_ ran like cowards." The younger officer interjected.

"We did not run! We received orders from Admiral Bell to retreat."

"From that static filled transmission?" The eldest officer held up another piece of paper, "You could barely make the shape of the person, let alone who actually sent it or what he said."

"What are you saying?" Rika asked.

"What I'm saying," Admiral Pasture stood up from his chair and placed both hands on the wooden table and look intently at the Londo Bell officers with an eye of utter hatred, "That one of you, or all of you are AEUG insurgents are here to undermine the operations of the EUF and threaten the peace of mankind."

"So is this what it's all about," Tyan finally spoke after keeping quiet for quite a while, "A witch hunt? And I bet that you've made your decision already about our guilt, haven't you?"

There was a stunned silence in the hall. All four judges glared at Tyan their eyes expressionless. Admiral Pasture eventually broke the silence.

"Captain Wang, if this was a witch hunt then why are we giving you a chance to defend yourselves?" He said in a sly tone, "I guess you never expected this situation during your planning sessions?" A smile appeared on his face.

Tyan heaved a sigh of disgust and frustration as did many of the other Londo Bell officers. It seemed like there was really nothing they could really do.

-----

Two men stood by a huge door leading into a Grenada hangar that was set out for Titan use.

"Is everything ready?"

"Almost, Commander Fin." A Titan officer said back. The other man he spoke to wore a EUF uniform and a pair of round orange tinted glasses. They were joined a second later by another man in a mechanic's jumpsuit. Though they wore different clothes, the EUF and the mechanic were physically identical.

"Brother." The mechanic greeted his sibling.

The Titan officer peered around the corner into a large hangar and turned back to the twins.

"The Mother Vanguard will be here in forty three minutes. We'll begin operations in…" The Titan officer looked at his watch, "fifty minutes. For Neo Zeon."

"For Neo Zeon." Nicolas Fin said sinister tone.

-----

The hearing had finished half an hour or so before. The Londo Bell officers managed to put across their version of events but no one can tell whether it had swayed any of the judges. Admiral Pasture and the three other judges have left the hall to discuss their verdict and what their punishment would be. Sieg tapped his fingers irritably on the metallic table and the clang rang throughout the hall until Wiz jabbed him painfully in his still bandaged ribs to make him stop. There were EUF soldiers guarding every door in the hall, each had a semi-automatic machine gun nestled in their chest.

The door to the right of the room sprang open and the four judged walked back in. The young hotheaded judge from before wore a rather disturbing grin on his face while the other men's faces remained expressionless. Rika was prepared for the worst.

"Captain Rika Matsumoto," Admiral Pasture's voice boomed and echoed within the hall, "We have found you and your crew…guilty of all charges."

Rika closed her eyes. The other EUF officers were utterly outraged but they kept quiet and brooded silently.

"I cannot show you or any other senior officer of the remaining Londo Bell fleet any mercy. Therefore, your punishment shall be death and your crews shall receive a reduced punishment of ten years imprisonment." Admiral Pasture then turned to Sieg, "Captain Garland, we have taken into account of your special circumstances and come to the conclusion that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. However we also cannot ignore the fact that you did nothing to stop the AEUG plot. You are hereby dishonourably discharged from the EUF and forbidden to set foot on any EUF or its allies' facilities, unless you wish to be shot. This hearing is adjourned." Admiral Pasture banged his gavel on the wooden table.

Ten EUF soldiers suddenly swarmed upon the Londo Bell officers from around the room, handcuffed them and was lead out by Sergeant Siegfried Reinable.

-----

"What do you think we should do?" Tyan whispered to Rika as they were walked down the corridors of Grenada. Almost every single EUF officer they passed was eyeing them suspiciously.

"I don't know." Rika replied. She felt depressed and let down. Never before has she ever felt like this. She believed in the EUF, she trusted the EUF. It has been her home and her family ever since she joined but now it seemed that she was an outcast. She felt lonely.

_WHOOMSH_

The entire base shook hard and a gust of warm air rushed through its corridors pushing everybody onto the floor.

-----

Chaos ensued within the Titan hangar bay. Smoke and dust obscured everyone's view. No one knew what was going on except that several Titan and EUF officers began mowing everyone down with machine guns.

"Make sure that the Ashtaron and Virsago are safe!" A lone voice shouted within the vast hangar while staggering towards two MS that stood like statues in the corner of the room. One was crimson, almost blood red, with black paint over its joints. The other was a jet-black and grey with red covering its various nozzles. The grey one called Ashtaron wore a large booster filled backpack and seemed more bulky than the red MS called Virsago. The Titan officer stumbled across the hangar with a pistol in his hand, choking on the think smoke.

"God where the hell are those damn EUF soldiers?" He thought as he almost tripped over the body of a fallen Titan soldier. Wondering out of the smoky patch, he saw two figures climbing up the metallic platform towards the two MS.

"Stop!" He shouted and began firing haphazardly at them hoping that one of the shots would actually hit, "Stop, St-!"

He was silenced with a bullet struck directly in the head, blowing off much of his face. Blood gushed out like a fountain of wine. Another Titan officer, a Neo Zeon soldier in disguise, walked out of the smoke behind the one he shot and saluted the two men on the platform. They saluted back.

_Come on brother, the Mother Vanguard is waiting._

-----

There was indistinguishable shouting and a lot of EUF soldiers and officers running around past the group of Londo Bell officers. All the guards, apart from Sergeant Reinable, seemed to be confused and disoriented.

"You three at the back, go and find out what the hell is going on. You two help me escort the prisoners." Siegfried Reinable ordered his men in a professional manner. He received a few looks of apprehension from the men.

"GO!" And they ran off in the other direction.

"OK, let's move it!" Siegfried shouted at the Londo Bell officers and took the lead. The group jogged and ducked past falling debris from the ceiling as they made their way through Grenada, some of them had trouble keeping balance because of their handcuffs.

"Captain," Wiz whispered close to her ear as he jogged up to her, "Maybe we should make a break for it. We won't get this chance agai-." He was cut off when Sergeant Reinable suddenly stopped in front of the hangar bay door where the Londo Bell ships were docked.

"Sergeant, this isn't the brig." Rika said. She looked Siegfried in the eye.

"I know." Siegfried undid Rika's handcuffs and handed her the key.

"Then why…"

"Just get to your ships. I'll explain later. Get going!"

Not really wanting to stay in the seemingly crumbling base much longer, Rika and the other Londo Bell officers obeyed. They freed themselves and filtered through the hangar bay door towards their ships.

-----

Admiral Pasture was hiding underneath the table in his office trying not to cry for his mom. The fragmented voice reports that came through onto his computer made him cringe in fear and caused him to feel like an idiot. How the hell did he not see it earlier? Taking the Londo Bell fleet prisoner, transferring soldiers from the Titan sector, keeping the entire base preoccupied…

"Dammit!" Another explosion rocked his office and several pieces of metal fell onto his desk with loud clangs. He had no idea what the Titans were doing in that hangar. He read that the Titans had only stored Marasai and a few Hi-Zack suits in the hangar but now there were reports saying that there were two prototype mobile suits in storage. The attack wasn't by AEUG but by an unknown group. What made it worse was that the Londo Bell ships blew a hole in the primary hangar bay door to escape, possibly with help from EUF soldiers and AEUG spies.

"This day can't get any worse."

-----

On board the bridge of the York Rika reclaimed the captain's seat in the centre of the bridge. It was welcoming relief that her crew was safe and sound but now there was one final obstacle that they have to overcome: escaping without being blown to pieces by Grenada's own turrets which didn't really seem like a problem now since the base was in chaos. There was another massive explosion on the far side of the base and two small dots ploughed through the smoke.

"Paul can you magnify those?" Rika asked her tactical officer.

The main viewer split in two and a pixelated image of the two dots was shown to be two mobile suits, one red and the other black, both were heading towards a large ship that looked like the wooden ships that roamed the seas in the eighteenth century.

"Crossbone Vanguard…" Siegfried muttered to himself.

"Hey, that was the ship that attacked us back in that shoal zone!" Wiz exclaimed.

"You sure?" Rika said back.

"I only got a brief glance at it during the battle but I'm positive it's that ship. We need to go after it."

"Your ships are in no shape to go after something that powerful." Siegfried interjected, "You have no idea how powerful the Mother Vanguard is. We should head for the Lohar Shoal-Zone; get your ships repaired and some medical attention to your injured. I've already disabled Grenada's defence systems so the EUF shouldn't be bothering us."

Rika turned around to look at Siegfried. She thought he was just a security officer but now he was something of a mystery.

"Not until you tell us who the hell you are."

"Ah, yes." Siegfried rubbed his neck in embarrassment, "I apologise. My name is Siegfried Reinable; at least that much is true. I'm not a member of the EUF. My real rank is Lieutenant and I'm part of the AEUG." Before Siegfried could continue on further, Tyan rushed forwards, took him by the collar and punched him in the eye.

"So you were the one that got us into this damn mess!" Tyan shouted as Sieg and Wiz both quickly restrained him from beating Siegfried further.

"I suppose I deserve that." Siegfried rubbed his eye as it began to swell up slightly. Righting himself in the zero gravity, he shrugged off the assault and began addressing Rika again.

"As I was saying I'm with the AEUG, but I am not responsible for all that you have been through."

"Then who is?" Rika asked in a suspicious manner.

"Well if you want someone to blame then blame Admiral Bell. He was the one who told the AEUG to come get you with his last transmission." Siegfried floated next to Rika, "But before I tell you any more I'd suggest we leave before Grenada control regains control of its main systems and send ships after us."

Rika contemplated about the current situation. Either to go with a complete stranger to a terrorist base somewhere in the densest region of space filled with debris and other obstacles, or to face certain death at Grenada. The former seemed like a better plan. Plus she still had many injured onboard and there was no way that sickbay's supplies was going to last much longer.

She told the helmsman to set a course and told Hana to pass on the information to the Southampton and the Shanghai. But her mind settled back with Admiral Bell. If he had some idea about the attacks then…

"Are you saying that Admiral Bell is in league with the AEUG?"

"Yes. He was one of the founding members after all." All eyes were upon Siegfried after he finished.

"I think it's better if I explained a few things." Siegfried sighed. He had hoped that he wouldn't had to do this as he was never much of a public speaker but now he really didn't have a choice.

"The AEUG isn't the terrorist organisation that you make us out to be. What you know about the AEUG, our reputation of randomly attacking EUF, Titan and Oz ships is not true. The AEUG exists because of the corruption, oppression and constant fighting that has been going on for the past ten years. As you know, after the UN's collapse at the end of the Zeon War, the Titans and Oz rose up in its place. Though they did create the EUF to preserve the peace of the Earth-Moon system, but all the EUF was, in the end, a puppet." Siegfried paused for to breathe. He didn't realise that he just insulted everyone on the bridge.

"The old UN officials, including Admiral Bell, who still had a vision of a peaceful future came together and the AEUG was created to oppose the new Earth governments. Their ideals were not widely known because of the ZAFT uprising a year ago and their voice was pretty much drowned out by this war but it did get through to some people." Siegfried looked around to Tyan, Wiz and Sieg.

"You know, I've only known Admiral Bell for a short while but he's always been going on about how Newtypes will eventually shape the world we live in. He always transmits a message to AEUG headquarters when the Londo Bell Fleet mobilises for a mission. He sends his message through to each ship before the message randomly picks a ship as its transmitter and gets sent to AEUG HQ. Normally his transmissions were just reports but his last one seemed...surreal."

"What do you mean?" Siegfried caught Sieg's attention. He remembered the talk with Admiral Bell while he was still in sickbay. He had thought that the man was talking rubbish.

"What I mean is that Admiral Bell believed that he was a Newtype. He apparently felt that something bad was going to happen and it involved the Crossbone Vanguard." Siegfried pointed at the, now tiny, image of the blue mother ship of the Crossbone Vanguard. The ship had received the two stolen MS from Grenada and was now moving away at full speed, "I personally don't believe in that kinda stuff but after what happened, I'm not sure what to say."

The room was utterly silent and only the odd beep from the control panels could be heard.

"So are you expecting us to join you?" Rika asked. Her mind was confused and tired after what she had been through. What she really wanted was to have some sleep but the single preoccupation kept her alert: she was in charge of the Londo Bell Fleet and its her job to take care of it, just as Admiral Bell did.

"No. That decision is yours." Siegfried began rummaging through the many pockets of his EUF uniform, "You know, I never did like your uniforms. Always too many pockets and holes."

The comment created a few small smiles around the room. He finally stopped as he found what he was looking for, a small data minidisk.

"But before you make your decision, Admiral Bell left you this." Siegfried tossed it to Rika.

"What is it?" She asked as she caught it.

"Don't know. It was a data packet sent with his message before you left on your last mission. It's addressed only to you and can only be accessed with your encryption code."

-----

The Virsago and Ashtaron walked slowly across the hangar bay floor towards their dedicated storage area within the Mother Vanguard and stopped next to the two Crossbone Gundams. They seemed more menacing than the Crossbone X1 and X2. Maintenance crews and engineers swarmed upon the two suits as soon as they were secure. The heads of the two suits were of similar design to the Gundams but everything else was unique.

The cockpit door on both MS opened and the two pilots in EUF uniforms stepped out.

"Commander Fin I trust everything went according to plan." Thraw Nema, the Captain of the Mother Vanguard, floated across the front of the red Gundam, "So how are they?" He pointed to the suits.

"Yes," Nicolas Fin's British accent annoyed Thraw slightly but he had gotten used to it, "The Virsago is a fine suit and would make a fine stallion. What do you think of your Ashtaron, Joseph?"

"Great. Handles much better than the Gaza series." Joseph Fin, the identical twin to Nicolas Fin, stepped out of the grey mobile suit called Ashtaron. The three of them floated up to the main walkway of the hangar and the magnets in their shoes connected with the floor.

"Let's set a course back to Axis. Her highness is awaiting news of our triumphant return and to present her with our spoils."

"Yes, sir." Thraw replied sternly. Even though they were roughly the same rank in the Neo Zeon military Thraw held the Fin brothers in high respect because of their past; something that he has sworn an oath to keep a secret.

-----

Rika leaned back in the large cushioned chair in her debris filled quarters. The room was dark, bar the light emitting from her computer monitor and a window showing the stars outside. You could barely make out the outlines of a bookcase with most of its books leaning at odd angles and some on the floor bearing the names of "Moby Dick", "1984", "Pride and Prejudice" and the like.

She had Hana contact the Southampton and Shanghai to apprise them of the current situation. Neither of their crews seemed to disagree with what she had decided so now the Londo Bell Fleet was heading towards the AEUG HQ.

She held up the minidisk not totally sure that she want to hear what Admiral Bell would say. She eventually plucked up the courage and inserted it into the disk drive. The disk booted on the computer and asked for her personal ID and password, which she entered with several swift keyboard strikes and then the face of her bearded mentor, Admiral Bell, appeared.

"My dear Rika. If you are in procession of this message then I may presume that I am dead or that Siegfried messed up and gave you this by accident; but in most likeliness I am dead."

Rika could barely make out the admiral's face under the bushy black beard. His black hair was pushed downwards by a large EUF military cap that covered his eyes. She had often wondered how the man could see under all that hair but she never asked.

"There are so many dangerous things in the universe but you know what, Rika, we humans have begun to evolve. The two Newtype pilots you have onboard, Captain Tyan Long Wang and Captain Wiz Earo, they are the future of mankind. Mankind is evolving to become something wonderful. Those who remain on Earth do not understand the potential and possibilities that these Newtypes have. Do you still remember Zeon Zum Deikun's works, Rika? He wanted a future for mankind. I didn't believe him at first but after the battle of Acteria and seeing first hand what the Newtypes of the 1st Mobile Armour squadron could do opened my eyes."

"We are already evolving Rika. The EUF, Titans, Oz, ZAFT nor Zeon comprehended what that meant. Zeon used the Newtype excuse to create their republic; the Titans, Oz and EUF discriminate against all that lives in space while ZAFT deny their existence. So that is why I helped found the AEUG. They are the only ones who have some belief that Newtypes are people, not items used to fight in wars. But if I am dead then the AEUG will be making the same mistakes as the Titans, Oz, ZAFT and Zeon. So I have something to request of you, Rika. I want you to make sure that there will not be a repeat of the infamous battle between the two legendary Newtypes during the Zeon War. I don't want the world I leave behind to be one that destroys its future. You can do that anyway you want but joining the AEUG would be the best option." The old man smiled.

"Do you still remember the first time we met? You were still green then, just a second grade lieutenant without much experience or confidence in yourself. For some reason I saw talent in you. I still think back to the day that I put you on the fast-track officer-training program. I pushed you and taught you everything that you needed to know. Some of the time I thought you might burn yourself out with all your studies and duties yet you went on. I was so proud of you when you were given that promotion by fleet to become a full captain. I was barely able to contain my happiness when I gave you your captain's badge. And now…I'm sure that you are taking good care of the Londo Bell Fleet." Admiral Bell fell quiet for a few seconds, as if he was actually looking at Rika through the recording.

"You don't have to follow an old man's senile thoughts but I want you to know that I will be proud of what ever decision you make in the future, because I am sure that you will be a fine leader. But if nothing else, it is imperative you must find final surviving member of the 1st Mobile Armour Squadron: Sieg Garland and keep the three of them together. I can feel something about those three. I'm sure that you can find him or he will find you." For a brief moment, Rika saw the Admiral's eyes through all the hair. They still showed the same kindness when she first met him and they still filled her with hope.

"I never liked saying goodbyes to anyone," Admiral Bell continued, "But there is a time when you have to accept the inevitable. I officially pass on command of the Londo Bell Fleet to you, Rika. Good luck. The future is in your hands."

The recording flickered off leaving the room darkened apart from the light of the stars from the window shining in.

"It's not going to be the same without you, old man." A tear trickled down Rika's cheek and splashed on her EUF uniform.


	10. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Things We Leave Behind**

The controls and buttons glowed around Marcus and Kriss as the shuttle was prepped for launch. Kriss, who sat next to Marcus, was in a tight Titan normal suit (or space suit as they were called before the invention of mobile suits). She tugged and squirmed in it as though it was wrapped around her like cling-film.

"What are you staring at?" She glared at him.

"Nothing." Marcus quickly replied and began focusing on the shuttle again, his face began glowing as red as his ginger hair. Torii, the green mechanical bird that Marcus kept as a pet, was perched on his shoulder twitched as if laughing at him.

The Strike Gundam, with its wing-like Aile backpack, and Kriss' Red Astray was stored in the shuttle's main storage bay. He was about to hand Kriss over to the two majors: Kuroshin Watanabe and Terrance Rockfield.

The electronic monitor above Marcus' head changed from displaying shuttle statistics to the face of the ship's captain.

"Lieutenant Kolin is everything set?"

"Yes, sir. We'll be ready for launch in approximately three minutes." Marcus looked up at the monitor while simultaneously tapping on the controls in front of him.

"Good. Tano and Orphen will accompany you in their Gaplants but they won't follow you to Oz territory. You will have to go alone from there. We have lost track of the Nazca-class ship carrying the other Gundams so be prepared for a surprise attack from ZAFT."

"Aye, sir."

"Good luck, son. Get back alive. I don't want to be blamed for the loss of the only Coordinator in the Titan military." The monitor switched from the captain's face to display the shuttle's current condition. Marcus turned his attention back on prepping the shuttle and watch Kriss struggle with her suit from the corner of his eye.

"Any idea why Major Watanabe and Major Rockfield wants to get you from Oz territory?" Marcus asked, trying to get a conversation going between them. During their short time together, he had developed a crush on Kriss. He knows that she was the daughter of the President of Orb but that hasn't stopped him.

"Probably because the atmospheric re-entry point is closer to Orb." She replied, "This is so typical. The normal suits are either too large or too small."

"I think it fits you nicely." Marcus said as he checked his seat belt and leaned over to check on Kriss' only to be pushed aside.

"My belt's fine. You would say it fits, wouldn't you? You men are all the same." She said but Marcus wasn't listening as he was talking to the communications officer on the ship's bridge through the intercom.

The main door to the hangar bay opened while the shuttle and Tano's Gaplant was suit was pushed along the floor by several struts connected to a network of rails and placed them onto the launch catapult. The lights for the catapult launch sequence changed from a red "STOP" to a yellow "ACCEL" and finally a green "LAUNCH" signal. At that point, the catapult propelled the small white shuttle and Tano's Gaplant into space with electrical discharges emitting off from the magnetic accelerators. Orphen's Gaplant soon followed and caught up with them.

"Hey Marcus," Tano's voice could be heard over the laser comm. Minovsky interference was high so the message was filled with static and crackling, "Why do you always get to get the girls?"

"You asked me that before and I really can't be bothered to go into your little twisted mind games." Marcus turned to look at Kriss who was still tugging at her normal suit, "Are you gonna stop doing that?"

"Doing what?" Tano's crackly voice said over the comm.

"No not you. I was talking to Kriss."

"Oooohhhh. You sound like you're married already." Tano's teasing never ceased to annoy Marcus. Both he and Kriss blushed. Marcus yelled several profanities at Tano before switching the communicator to another channel so to avoid Tano's laughter.

-----

Major Dena Nadist used her elbows to lean against the large 3D map display table in the back of the Nazca-class ship's bridge. The ZAFT Gundam pilots, in their red officers uniforms, surrounded her while Captain Reyes stood rigidly opposite. The pilots chatted about what they done to their new suits, especially Ensign Riou Hajima and the new Assault modules on his Duel Gundam.

"I'm confident that the Strike Gundam is on that shuttle. If it were not then it would be out there escorting the shuttle." Captain Reyes called to Dena over the noise, "Will you guys be quiet for a moment, please."

All the pilots stopped talking and stood to attention immediately.

"Good. So how do you think we should proceed Major Nadist?"

Dena mull over the thought about the Strike Gundam but her mind switched back to Seig Garland. She was still astonished that she would meet him again so soon after he and she went separate paths, but now that they've met he was bound to figure out what she was going to do. Then again she might be overestimating the man. After all, even though they were family does not guarantee that he would also share her intellect.

"Major?" Captain Reyes woke her from her thoughts and forced her to think about the matter at hand.

"Yes I agree. What is their most probable destination?" She enquired while brushing her hair out of her facemask.

"Sector alpha dash two nine…here." Captain Reyes leaned over the table and pointed at a cube section that was almost touching the virtual display of the Earth's atmosphere.

"Looks like they are heading for re-entry…" Ryan muttered. His face was young yet the expression it conveyed was one of utmost seriousness and professionalism that wouldn't usually be seen on someone who was only seventeen years old. His eyes were azure blue, as was his hair, which contrasted heavily with his red uniform.

"But that shuttle isn't built for re-entry." Vivian, the only female pilot of the group, joined in.

"But their suits can, in theory. So if what you say is true it means that they would have to rendezvous with another transport. You pilots know more about re-entry points than me. Where would they be heading?" Captain Reyes always held his pilots in high esteem and valued their input greatly. It was always nice to get a teenager's point of view since being an adult usually meant that his thought process was moulded into shape by experience, which isn't always a good thing.

The pilots stared at the green 3D globe illuminating their faces. Their minds worked furiously over the mathematical equations that were taught to them during the years in the ZAFT Academy. The Coordinator mind is far more intricate and superior to that of a natural born person due to genetic manipulation to augment their physical and mental structures; it is that very reason why people who lived on Earth feared and despise them.

"Orb." Akito Hidasaki, the Japanese decent pilot of the Buster Gundam, muttered out loud.

"The re-entry point would be this region." Riou pointed at a section of the Earth several hundred kilometres south of Orb. His dyed platinum grey hair shone in the bridge's lights making it feel that his hair was actually made of metal, "But if they were trying to get somewhere then Orb would be the most obvious choice."

"Or they think that they can retake Australia with just one MS." Vivian mused.

"OK." The Captain picked up a small metallic pole from the table that extended outwards into a long thin stick and used it to point at the 3D map, "This is the Oz space border. If they follow the New York Treaty, I expect those two Gaplants to break off when they reach here and the shuttle to stay on course. That is when we should attack. Any thoughts Major?"

Dena stared at the map while the three red dots showing the Titan shuttle and the two MS traversing through space.

"I agree, Captain. But I suggest that we send two suits to cross into Oz territory. Ryan's Aegis in mobile armour mode should be able to pass itself off as a freighter with Vivian's Blitz in Mirage Colloid mode should be able to fool their sensors before they can react."

Ryan looked at Vivian and saw a demonic spark light up in her eyes that he sees every time she gets sent into battle. Her life has been changed so much after she lost her family in the Bloody Valentine Massacre. He had known her since they were in the academy, so he watched Vivian change bit by bit and was afraid of what she was going to become.

"Agreed." Captain Reyes said in his usual raspy voice, "I want you two to keep heat and electronic emissions low. Obtaining the Strike Gundam is a priority but remember that our primary mission is to reinforce the African front, not this. So I expect both of you to come back, OK? All other units will be on standby. Get to your suits. You'll launch in approximately 10 minutes."

"Sir!" The young pilots left the bridge one by one with Riou mumbling to Akito about not having the chance to show off the new Assault Shroud armour on the Duel Gundam.

"Ryan," Dena said as Ryan reached the door, "Remember our talk. Keep the Strike Gundam pilot alive. If you can."

Ryan saluted in response and left the bridge.

"You think they can handle the mission?" Captain Reyes asked Dena. He felt like a father towards those young pilots and resented the fact that ZAFT would send such young people to the front.

"They'll be fine." Dena answered, "Ryan still sees the pilot of the Strike as a friend. If he can convince him to join us or capture the Strike then this war will end, swiftly."

A sinister smile appeared on her face.

_Marcus Kolin…Number 001._

-----

Kuro and Terrance both resembled two very dirty military figurines. After their battle on Heliopolis both of them were too flustered to find Miss Kriss Sampson and not be killed by Orb's president, Mr Sampson, they didn't really see the need to change clothes or wash. Their faces were covered in ash and grease from trying to fix their Blue and Gold Frame Astray mobile suits while trying to fly a battered mobile suit transport that somehow is in good enough condition to re-enter the atmosphere. Well, at least they thought it could.

Kuro's jet-black hair was ruffled into what resembled a bushel of hollies while there was a large purple patch on Terrance's face, which was due to floating into a spinning spanner in 0-G conditions. Needless to say their spirits weren't too high, but it was lifted slightly when they managed to contact the Titan ship that found Miss Sampson. Now the President won't have their heads on a platter.

"I'm reading another shuttle on the scanners. It's Titan." Terrance said to Kuro. All the thoughts about what the horrible things President would do to him and Kuro drained from his mind while a serene feeling filled his being.

"About time." Kuro sighed in relief, "Wonder what would happen if we didn't bring Miss Sampson back?"

"I'd rather not think about it." Terrance replied while clinging desperately to the only good feeling he had for the past few days.

Both pilots sat for a few seconds in comfort that the president wouldn't kill them before Kuro said something that sent a shiver down Terrance's spine.

"Something isn't right."

"Oh god, what is it now?" Terrance's only shred of hope was pulled out of him, kicking and screaming, and was devoured as quickly as a hungry cat would eat a fish stick.

"Not sure." Kuro replied leaning over to activate a laser communications channel. It isn't often that he has bad feelings about things but when he does, chaos usually ensues.

-----

A sensor blip appeared on the shuttle's control panel. Marcus pushed a green button besides it and the display showed a rough image of an Orb mobile suit carrier with its specifications in a message box next to the sensor blip. Both Tano and Orphen's Gaplants returned to the ship just before they reached the Oz border. Marcus had always disliked the New York Treaty where Oz and Titan governments agreed to not send their MS into each other's territories; all it meant to Marcus was that their shuttle was open for an attack, especially when the they could be drawn into the Earth's atmosphere if they weren't careful.

"Looks like you're friends are here to pick you up." Marcus said to Kriss and saw her face brighten instantly and stopped tugging at her normal suit. He was going to miss her even though they had just met about a week ago. A beeping noise meant that Marcus there was a laser communication being sent to his shuttle. It wasn't often that laser communications were used because of the possibility of being intercepted by enemy transmitters but he supposed that there wasn't really anything worth intercepting.

"This is Major Kuroshin Watanabe. Who am I speaking-Hey! You're that kid we on Heliopolis!"

Kriss palmed her face in her hand when she saw Kuro on the monitor. She knew Kuro was sloppy when it came to appearances but he looked ridiculous. Marcus wasn't too sure what to say.

"Er…yeah. That's me." He replied.

"Is Miss Sampson with you?" Kuro leaned towards the monitor as if trying to peer into Marcus' shuttle.

"Yeah, I'm here." Kriss answered without moving. She was trying to avoid eye contact with Kuro. Outside the shuttle the Orb MS carrier parked alongside Marcus' shuttle about two kilometres away to give both shuttles some manoeuvring room.

"OK, bring you're Red Astray over when you're ready." Kuro's face flickered and disappeared from the screen.

"Looks like this is where we part." Marcus turned to Kriss.

"Yeah, guess so." Kriss suddenly felt awkward. She had never had any kind of feelings towards young men before but there was something about Marcus that made her face flush slightly every time she looked at him.

"You should get going."

"Yeah." She unbuckled her seatbelt and floated towards the shuttle's small hanger. Marcus, now utterly alone, sat silently holding the shuttle's control stick.

"Thanks for everything."

Kriss had returned and pecked Marcus on the cheek. He turned his head and looked deeply into her eyes. Her orange iris glowed in the light of the cockpit and Marcus was mesmerised by them.

"Give me a call someday when you're on leave. You'll know where to find me."

"Sure." Marcus chuckled, "I'll see you around."

Kriss floated over to the back of the cockpit and the door shut with a hiss. Torii fluttered around the cockpit as Kriss left. It's chirping reminded Marcus of the days before ZAFT came into his life.

-----

Ryan cruised with his Aegis Gundam in mobile armour mode past several pieces of old UN ships that were destroyed during the Zeon. The mobile armour mode looked somewhat like a missile with multiple spikes protruding from various parts of the main fuselage. He was moving under the momentum he gained during launch to avoid the Aegis' heat signature showing up on anyone's sensors. The phase-shift armour of the Aegis Gundam was pink, which irritated Ryan slightly, but it was to be expected if they modelled wanted it to resemble the Red Comet from the Zeon War.

He had told Vivian to stay concealed until he attacked. Ryan didn't want to see Vivian hurt but during battle anything could happen so he'll have to see if she follows his orders.

He zoomed the exterior cameras in on Marcus' shuttle and the Orb MS carrier. The static filled image showed a red and white MS moving slowly from the shuttle to the MS carrier. Ryan couldn't tell whether it was the Strike Gundam but this was not time to be indecisive. If that isn't the Strike Gundam then it follows that Marcus is still on the shuttle.

_Need to force him out._

Without hesitating, Ryan stepped down on the foot pedal and the engines of the Aegis Gundam burst into life, spewing a blue plume of superheated helium vapours and plunged towards them.

-----

_Beep beep beep._

"Oh shit."

-----

Kriss could hear nothing except for her own breathing, the low hum of the Red Astray's engines and the whirring of the main computer. The Earth encompassed the entire forward view screen and what a beautiful sight it was. The green shades of the endless fields, the brownness of the mountains and deserts while the deep blue oceans covered the rest of the stunning planet. It was a shame that people have lost sight of the Earth's own radiance, looking to the up at the stars and forgetting to treasure what they already have. It was quite disorientating for her because of the difficulty in judging distances when out in space, so she had to rely upon her computer for any and all readouts, even with the Minovsky interference.

The MS transport became larger and larger. Kriss saw it's bay door open and the other two Astray units, Blue and Gold, lay in several pieces inside. Her left view screen still displayed the multitude of stars in the universe but a twinkle in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Usually atmospheric turbulence creates the twinkling stars you see on Earth but she was still in outer space so what could it be?

"KRISS, STOP!"

"Marcus?" Kriss swung her Astray around. A pillar of red and blue light flew past right where Kriss would have been if she had kept moving.

"Oh God!" Kriss' mind suddenly froze. She was technically a civilian, even with her mobile suit piloting training with Kuro and Terry, she had a habit of freezing in abrupt situations. She would feel fine in mid-battle but when something like this happens a fear takes over which paralyses her entire body.

Her mobile suit suddenly lurched forwards, as if it was struck hard by another mobile suit. The force pushed her past the Kuro and Terrance's MS carrier and closer to the Earth's atmosphere. Suddenly the stars to her right began to fluctuate and the green glow from a beam sabre appeared out of nowhere. It came straight at the Astray, aimed directly at its cockpit. Kriss' fear prevented her from even screaming.

The automatic avoidance circuitry activated itself and the Red Astray boosted backwards and spun around to avoid the incoming beam sabre. Kriss' mind shrugged off the initial shock and broke out of its temporary paralysis, she wondered why the enemy didn't finish her off. It was then she saw the green streaks of beam energy from a beam rifle flash before her mobile suit.

"Kriss! Kriss! Wake up damn you!" It was Marcus.

"Kriss! You OK?" Marcus' voice crackled through the interference filled intercom. A quiet chirping could be heard in the background, "Torii, be quiet. Kriss, can you hear me?"

"Yea-yeah I'm-I'm fine." She replied with a stutter.

The invisible enemy's armour shimmered and crackled with electricity in the starlight to reveal a sleek black mobile suit, the Blitz Gundam. The Mirage Colloid function gave it an overwhelming advantage in covert attacks by making it invisible to all sensors, even the naked eye, and it worked perfectly in this situation.

Throwing the Strike's shield to Kriss, Marcus drew both its beam sabres and ignited them. Their pink glow reflected off the Strike's white and blue armour.

"Kriss get going. I'll hold them off until you guys enter the atmosphere."

"No! It's two against one. I'm not leavi-"

"GET GOING!" Marcus shouted through the intercom. He personally had no idea how he was going to handle both the Blitz _and_ the Aegis Gundams but he knew one thing, Kriss' safety was more important than his.

The Blitz Gundam raised its right arm and fired the lancer darts with several beams from a shield like rifle that was mounted to it. It then boosted towards him, drawing and activating its beam sabre in the process. Marcus pushed the Aile pack mounted on the Strike Gundam's back to maximum thrust and charged at the Blitz. He dodged the green beams while letting the lancer darts hit the Strike's armour. The Phase Shift armour would protect the Strike Gundam from physical attacks but the beams would burn straight through. The two suits met halfway.

Marcus swung one beam sabre from above the Strike's head and followed by a thrust forwards from the other one. He had hoped that the pilot of the Blitz would shift to the left. Instead the Blitz's reverse thrusters came to life and propelled it backwards, just far enough to avoid Marcus' attack, simultaneously firing it's grappling anchor mounted on its other arm. The claw-like anchor slammed against the Strike's head and clamped tightly around it.

The cameras within the Strike's cockpit fizzled and cracked with static. The horrible screeching of metal meeting metal filled Marcus' ears. From the still active cameras, Marcus saw the Blitz Gundam pointed its beam rifle and fired. The blast took an entire chunk out of the Strike's leg, setting of various alarms and blowing out several minicomputers. The shock from the blast pushed the Strike farther away from the Blitz but the wire from its grappling anchor remained intact.

Suddenly the Blitz Gundam was jerked forwards as it ran out of wire. Seizing the opportunity, Marcus let loose the Igelstellung cannons mounted on its head. The golden anchor exploded, leaving a ball of flames where the Strike's head was. The force of the explosion pushed the Strike closer to the Earth. The Strike's head emerged undamaged from the smoke but a red glow began appeared on the Strike's back.

_Dammit, how the hell did I get so close to the atmosphere!_

Firing the Aile boosters, Marcus pushed the Strike Gundam forwards trying to escape the gravity, his eyes focused solely on the black Gundam in front of him.

A bright flash behind the Blitz Gundam made Marcus gulp hard. As if time had slowed, he watched helplessly as the black mobile suit spin aside to reveal a blue and red beam fired from the Aegis Gundam's Scylla cannon. There was no time to dodge it and without his shield, the beam would vaporise the Strike's entire torso.

The beam struck the Strike's shield. Kriss' Astray somehow managed to sneak in from below both mobile suits and block the beam. The red shield, though looked intact, was in fact pretty useless as the mega particles seared millions of microscopic holes on its surface meaning that it could crumble at any time.

"Kriss?"

Before Marcus could say anything further, the beam pushed the Astray against the Strike Gundam, flinging them both down into the atmosphere. Marcus shouted to Kriss to activate her thrusters but he got no reply.

_She must be out cold. Alright I suppose I'll have to get us both out of this._

He pushed the Strike's verniers to maximum and began to accelerate. A frenzied beeping gave him some very bad news. He was past the point of no return. This is where even the maximum thrust of the Strike Gundam was applied, the mobile suit would not be able to escape the atmosphere.

_Shit!_

Both mobile suits glowed red as the friction super heated them. To make things worse, the Strike's Phase-Shift generator was almost out of power. If he were to survive re-entry _and_ landing, he had better think of something, fast.

-----

Ryan watched from his Aegis Gundam as the two mobile suits plunged into the atmosphere. He griped the mobile suit controls tightly; his mind conflicted. If the two suits were to go through the atmosphere then the impact with the oceans would kill them both instantly. It would solve ZAFT's problem of the rouge Coordinator and also avenge the deaths of all of Ryan's comrades on Heliopolis. But Marcus was on the Strike, someone who he had promised to be friends no matter what.

It was friendship versus duty.

"Vivian, head back to the ship! I'm going after those two." Ryan said without hesitation.

"What? Why?" She protested.

"Just do as I say! Ignore the Orb transport. We don't want to drag them into this war." Ryan's Aegis Gundam sped towards the Earth's atmosphere at a fantastic speed.

"Ryan!" Vivian called out but her reply was only static from the atmosphere.

-----

Kuro and Terrance both watched the entire battle through the MS carrier's view-screen. They wanted to help but the Blue and Gold Frame Astrays were useless, plus the ship's starboard engines were damaged by the initial beam attack from the Aegis Gundam. Although they were not hit directly, the beam was so close that stray particles made millions of holes in the mobile suit carrier's engines. They could only watch as Kriss' Astray and Marcus' Strike enter the atmosphere with the Aegis Gundam chasing after them.

"The President's gonna kill us, isn't he?" Terrance asked pessimistically.

"Yes. Yes he is." Kuro answered.

"Kuro, have I told you how much I hate you?" Terrance sighed.

-----

The reddish glow dissipated from the outer armour of both the Astray and the Strike Gundam as they entered the lower atmosphere. Now the easy part was over, Marcus has to think of a way to slow down both suits before they crash into the ocean or worse, slam straight into an island.

Swing the system control keyboard around the back of his chair, Marcus began tapping furiously at the keys which brought up maps and equations on a small screen to his right. He pressed the return key several times and the multiple lines superimposed themselves over the small map with an arrow pointed to a large island.

"Great." Marcus muttered, as the nearest civilisation was almost a thousand kilometres away and no one would be able to help them.

Think that he might as well give it a try he pressed his left foot down on the reverse peddle. The engines activated, spluttered slightly and then stopped. The display above Marcus made a continuous tone that meant the Phase-Shift armour was depleted.

The once bright armour that covered the Strike Gundam faded to a dull grey as the armour deactivated itself. The Strike Gundam and Kriss' Astray was in freefall. If only Kriss was conscious, she would be able to use the Astray's thrusters…

"Marcus!" Ryan's voice came through the radio.

Marcus head whipped around to his still active sensors. Ryan's Aegis Gundam was right behind him.

"Take my hand!" The Aegis Gundam closed in on the Strike Gundam and reached out its arm.

Marcus hesitated.

"Look," Ryan sounded annoyed "Just forget that we're on different sides. If you don't want to slam into the ocean then grab on!"

Kriss' safety was Marcus' priority and it was his mission to ensure that she gets home in one piece. He really didn't have a choice.

Pushing what's left of the power stored in the batteries out, Marcus wrapped the Strike's arm around the Red Astray while extending the other one and gripped the Aegis' hand.

-----

"Yes sir. The Strike Gundam has descended to Earth." Vivian's voice was filled with disappointment and resentment. Her transmission was filled with static by Minovsky particles but it was still discernable to Captain Reyes.

"Roger that, Ensign Oria." There was a sense of urgency in Captain Reye's voice, "It looks like the Titan ship has found us and is on an intercept course. Return to the ship as soon as possible. There has been a huge Oz counterattack in Egypt. Our forces there need you. We have to leave Ryan."

Vivian was dumbstruck.

"We can't leave him! He's going to be along in ene-" Her transmission was clearing up as the Blitz Gundam moved closer to the ship.

"Yes we can." Dena interrupted, "It was his choice to go after the Strike Gundam so it is up to him to get back. Now get back here before we leave you with the Titans."

Vivian narrowed her eyes at the major, her breathing deepened in hate.

-----

Almost instantaneously, Marcus saw the Aegis' thrusters come to life. The blue plume of vapours poured out of its verniers as he tried to slow their descent. The distance readout decreased rapidly on computer panel but their speed was gradually slowing.

_10km before we impact…Ryan needs to reduce speed to at least 20m/s…_

The afterburners of the Aegis Gundam flared and as it struggled to fly upwards. The speedometer readings were encouraging:

**60m/s**

…

**50m/s**

…

**40m/s**

…

**30m/s**

…

**20m/s**

…

"Almost…!" Marcus strained under the intense G-Forces that his body is put under. He can only imagine what it must feel for Ryan. His eyes shifted to the altitude display that showed **2.395km** while the island was zooming in on his view screen.

A creaking sound sent a shiver down Marcus' spine as he watched the hands of the Aegis and the Strike began to slide apart. A scraping sound echoed throughout the Strike's cockpit as the hands of the mobile suits slid apart while a tremendous gust of wind pushed them apart further. Marcus closed his eyes and wished that they had slowed down enough so that they won't end up as a crater on the island that he predicted they would land on.

The Strike Gundam hit the shallow waters of the island, hard. The seatbelts that held Marcus tore under the strain. He was thrown from the chair into the cockpit's main view screen.

-----

Warmth, the kind that you felt when you know that you have parents who love you. That warmth would fill your heart and soul with hope, making you believe that you can achieve anything.

Marcus slowly pealed his heavy eye lids open. The room he was in was awash with orange light from a small fire in front of him. The smell of burning wood filled his nostrils while the warm glow of the flame made him want to go back to sleep. Marcus raised his head and glanced around the unknown place. There were several rocks, bathed in the colour of the flame, were scattered across the dusty and uneven floor. He felt something tickling his ankles while grains of sand rubbed against his foot.

Marcus turned his head slowly around the place and his eyes fell upon a red uniform. His brain didn't register it at first but then it snapped to attention to identify it as a ZAFT pilot uniform.

"Agh!" Marcus yelled out in surprise. One arm automatically pushed his body off the ground and the other reached for the gun on his waist. His fingers reached into the holster and felt nothing. His hands began patting the holster, trying to find the gun. His eyes were pinned on the ZAFT pilot.

It took his mind several seconds before he recognised the pilot was Ryan. Marcus didn't recognise him at first because his hairstyle has changed but his face still remained the same. Even though Marcus knew Ryan was a friend, he had no idea what the years that he had spent apart from him would do to Ryan. He had to be cautious.

"Looking for this?" Ryan held up the gun Marcus was searching for.

"Yeah…" Marcus stopped his rummage of his but still remained alert in case Ryan does decide to shoot him.

"Don't worry," Ryan tossed the gun back to Marcus, "I threw the ammo into the sea as a precaution. Plus it's waterlogged so it's useless anyway."

Marcus caught the gun and shook it from side to side. Sure enough, the sound of water came from within the gun's inner mechanisms. Letting out a disappointed sigh he placed the gun down him, he then realised that Kriss was snoring gently beside him. He turned to get a good look at the room.

It was actually a cave. Algae was growing along the grey walls of the cave while golden sand covered the floors with shoots of grass sprouting out from beneath it. There was a large hole, not more than 10 meters deeper into the cave, where water was pouring in from outside. Marcus felt a cold breeze whip around the cave and instinctively knew that the main entrance was around the corner of the wall he was leaning against. The sound of the crackling fire was dwarfed by the sound of heavy rain outside the cave and water dripping through the hole. A low rumble of thunder from outside echoed slightly in the cave.

Ryan and Marcus watched each other for the slightest sign of movement. It was then Marcus remembered that there was a small dagger hidden within his normal suit.

"Never thought you liked blue hair." Marcus spoke while his right hand began inching its way slowly down his leg.

"Guess people change." Ryan replied. His voice was the same that Marcus had remembered just a little bit coarser than before. Marcus still remembered the brown haired boy whom he left behind on Side 6. Ryan's face still retained that warm inner self but it was now hidden thanks to the war between ZAFT and the Earth. He had always admired Ryan, some how always been able to surpass him in grade school and also having an uncanny skill and knowledge in robotics. Torii suddenly flew in through the entrance of the cave and landed on Marcus' shoulder. It was dripping with rainwater but a few shakes of its wings dried it out and sprayed Marcus' face with water.

"You still kept him after all this time? I'm really surprised that its batteries have lasted this long." Ryan smiled at the bird's antics. Marcus wiped his face with his left hand and dried them on the fabric of his normal suit.

"I had to replace his batteries every eight months or so. It's not really easy to find them in this war." Marcus right hand felt the dagger's handle inside the normal suit fabric under a Velcro seal.

He hesitated, wondering whether it was worth it to gain control of the situation but his training took over. Pumping his legs on the rock wall behind him, Marcus pushed his entire body off the ground while his right hand tore open the Velcro seams and pulled out the dagger. As he expected, he caught Ryan off guard. He easily got through his defences and pressed the dagger to Ryan's throat. A sense of achievement and self-confidence washed over him, which disappeared at the same instant when he felt something cold on his neck. Torii was fluttering around the cave chirping loudly but the sound of rain falling drowned it out.

"You're not the only one with a sharp toy." Ryan's voice suddenly became sinister. Both of their eyes met and it was as if they could see into each other's minds.

"Never thought you'd be this fast," Ryan continued but the sinister tone was gone, "Guess the Titans trained you well but…"

Marcus pushed the harder against Ryan's neck waiting for him to finish his sentence.

"YOU FORGOT MY LEGS!"

A sharp pain in Marcus' crotch almost made him vomit. Ryan's boots connected sharply with his groin. His grip loosened on the dagger as the pain spread across his body. It felt like a dream when Ryan pushed Marcus off him, pinned his right hand to the floor and shoved his own dagger to Marcus' face before he could get up.

"Nice try, Marcus."

Marcus groaned in pain, both physical and mentally. No matter how hard he tried he still can't beat Ryan.

"Put the dagger down." A third voice echoed in the cave. Both of them turned their heads towards the voice. Kriss was holding the pistol that Marcus had put on the floor and pointing it directly at Ryan's head. Her hands were shaking.

Both Marcus and Ryan knew that as long as Kriss shook like that she would never hit anything, plus the gun was useless too.

"Umm, that gun…" Ryan pointed at the gun with his free hand.

"Shut up!" Kriss shouted before he could finish. She tried to keep the gun level but it was difficult; she had never used a gun before in her life and it was much heavier than she had thought.

"You really shouldn't…" Ryan urged again.

"SHUT UP! If you don't put that dagger down I'm gonna shoot!" She was still groggy from her sleep, which made it even more difficult to aim. Marcus, who could still feel Ryan's blade, remained silent. He wasn't really sure what to do.

Kriss' forefinger stroked the trigger and tightened. She didn't want to kill anyone but if it would save Marcus then it will be worth it. She shut her eyes and pulled the trigger.

A splurging sound began to come out of the barrel of the gun. Kriss opened her eyes only to see muddy water drain out of barrel. It was followed by a loud popping sound, and then everything went quiet. All that could be heard was the rain and the chirping from Torii who had perched on a ledge above Kriss.

All three of them remained silent as the last drip of mud from the barrel fell to the ground. One of them began to snigger. No one knew who it was but at that moment the tension broke. They laughed and the sound of laughter resonated within the cave.

-----

A small ember flew off from the fire that burned in front of Marcus, Ryan and Kriss. The daggers and gun was piled up on the far side of the cave, basking in the glow of the fire. Ryan threw a damp twig onto the fire when he saw the ember land at his feet. Rain still poured through the hole but it really didn't bother them.

They were tired. Piloting mobile suits isn't like a machine in an arcade. The G-force that would be weighed upon a pilot requires them to be in top physical condition, but sometimes even that would not be enough. A pilot's mind would have to be focused solely on the battle, trying to survive while trying to kill others. It isn't easy and the smallest mistake would cost you your life.

"You know, Marcus," Ryan said over the clamour of the drops of rain hitting the ground, "I always found you to be the luckiest guy I've met. First you manage to survive till now, get such a powerful mobile suit _and_ get a beautiful girlfriend, who happens to be the daughter of the President of Orb. I don't know how you do it."

Both Marcus and Kriss blushed at Ryan's comment about them being a couple.

"We-we're not together." Kriss blurted out.

"But you'd make a nice couple." Ryan took a swig out of a water ration pack he brought from the Aegis Gundam.

Marcus looked over at Kriss' face. He had never thought about how events turn out the way they were. He never believed in destiny and fate, but then again he had been getting a spell of good luck recently, if you can call it good luck. Maybe it's something to do with Yin and Yang, he thought, when you have good luck some bad luck has got to happen to cancel it out. Maybe the Yang is trying to make up for all the tragedy in his life.

"Can't we send out a communications signal for someone to rescue us?" Kriss asked to both pilots.

"No. I couldn't get any signals through the electronic interference of the storm. I tried to send a signal through your MS's communications relay but both of them seem to be broken. I didn't touch anything else, I promise." Ryan really didn't touch anything else because he respected Marcus too much to do it but he felt that he still doesn't believe him, "However, after the storm clears I can only send messages to ZAFT and the Orb Alliance. If I send a message to the Titans, I could be court-martialled. I hope you understand Marcus."

"Don't worry about it." Marcus nodded and turns to Kriss, "Is there any way that I could come to Orb or use an Orb transmitter to call for a Titan transport?"

"Well…Yes, if I ask Kuro and Terry enough I'm sure that they'll give you authorisation." Kriss said hesitantly. The thought of Marcus asking her for help with the possibility that he could come with her to Orb made her heart pump faster. He face began to flush.

"Well then that's settled." Ryan said while shifting his legs to another position, trying to make himself comfortable on the sandy floor.

"How is your Grandma?" Marcus asked, changing the subject.

Ryan looked up at Marcus, tucked his legs up to his chest and then looked down again.

"She died. She was killed on Jenius 7 when the nuclear missile hit."

Ryan's words hit Marcus like a punch.

Ryan's grandmother was like his own grandmother. For as long as he could remember, Ryan's grandmother was the kindest person he had known.

She was a kind person who would have never shown a frown even if he and Ryan had done something wrong. Once he and Ryan was playing in her garden and accidentally trampled her gardenias. He had expected her to shout at them but instead she just smiled at them but Marcus saw sadness in her eyes and he knew he had hurt her. And now he saw that same sadness in Ryan's eyes. But now she was gone. In a flash of light and she was gone. All because he pulled the trigger. He wanted to tell Ryan what he had done but his mouth and throat refused to move. He felt like a coward. His eyes shifted over to Kriss, wondering whether she would let out his secret but she kept quiet.

"I'm sorry." Was all he could muster.

"Don't worry about it. But I really miss her. I still remember how she was the closest thing I had to a mum. Plus you know what my father is like, always off on business. I think she basically replaced both of them." Ryan said with a note of nostalgia in his voice.

"What happened to your mother?" Kriss asked and suddenly regretted it, "I'm sorry. I'm being insensitive."

"No, it's OK. She died giving birth to me. I think that was why my father didn't really get close to me, because I reminded him too much of her. He's a strong man, but he was weak it came to the matters of the heart; I think that he was afraid that he couldn't live up to my mother's expectations and that was why he never really got close to me."

"Oh." Kriss said quietly. She had been born into a loving family who still loves her today, so she couldn't really understand what it was like to grow up without parents. But what she heard about Marcus' parents being murdered by ZAFT and Ryan's father practically abandoning him, she realised how tough it must have been for them.

Ryan let out a small laugh.

"What's so funny?" Marcus looked up curiously.

"Just think about life. Isn't it ironic I always told you how much I hated war or any kind of fighting somehow becomes the leader of a group of elite ZAFT soldiers fighting against my best friend?" His grin suddenly disappeared, "I joined the ZAFT military because I wanted to protect my grandparents. Couldn't do a thing to protect them."

"I don't hate you, Marcus, for what happened but I do hate the people you work for and that's why I've gotta kill you on the battlefield. Ever feel like that God is playing with us, pitting us against each other? If the world is like this then I wonder whether it's worth living in it."

"Maybe. But I suppose it can't be helped." Marcus threw one of the twigs near him onto the fire, "We have to play with the hand that life dealt us, no matter what the outcome. Someone once told something that kept me going, kept me want to carry on living. He said Even if you've lost all hope and faith in others, but if they even have a minute amount of hope and faith in you then you have a life worth living'."

"That's quite corny isn't it?" Ryan said back with a smile.

"Well, he's alive isn't he?" Kriss retorted at Ryan's remark.

"I suppose." The tone of sadness returned to his voice, just like when he was talking about his grandmother. Kriss looked around at both Marcus and Ryan only to see them both sat curled up with the same miserable expressions on their faces.

"Hey I know!" She moved closer to the fire and stood up on her knees and beckoned to the both of them to move closer. Marcus and Ryan both looked at each other in confusion, unsure of what Kriss is trying to do, they complied anyway. All three of them were on both of their knees around the small fire.

"Right," Kriss said while putting her hand over the fire, "When I was small I used to go camping with a friends. My friends and I would put our hands over the fire and promise to be friends no matter what the world throws at us. Even though I only known Marcus for about a week and you for an hour, I feel that we could be friends. One from Orb, one from the Titans and one from ZAFT. What do you say?"

"Again that sounds so corny." Ryan complained.

"We had something like that when we were small, remember?" Marcus pointed out. The time when he moved to another colony cylinder on Side 6, the first time he had been away from Ryan. Even though the cylinders were practically next to each other (around 80km to give room for the spin of the colonies and any possible movement) but it seemed like light-years for Marcus and Ryan. He put his hand over Kriss'.

Seeing that both of them had agreed, Ryan couldn't really say no. He heaved a sigh and put his hand over Marcus'.

"Friends. No matter what happens." Kriss' voice sounded firm and strong. Marcus was surprised that her usual soft voice disappeared for a moment. He supposed that she had to be since she was the daughter of a President and meeting dignitaries from around the world required her to have inner strength and character.

"FRIENDS!" All three of them shouted simultaneously. Their voices echoed throughout the small cave. All three of them gazed at each other, etching this moment into their memories.

"I still say this feels childish." Ryan said all of a sudden. Laughter returned to the cave.

-----

The cave was dark with the fire being out. Rain still poured through the hole inside the cave but the rocks retained their heat, which kept them warm. Ryan went out to brave the storm because nature called.

Marcus and Kriss leaned against each other with Kriss' head resting on Marcus' shoulder.

"Kriss, you awake?"

"Yes." She said drowsily.

"Why didn't you tell Ryan about me and the Bloody Valentine Incident?"

"Cause I don't want to see you hurt."

"I wouldn't have blamed you."

"Hm. But friendships are important, especially during war. You got to have friends to have faith and hope in you for you to carry on living, right?"

"Heh. Yeah."

"Anyway, what kind of a _girlfriend_ would I be if I destroyed your friendship?"

"Girlfriend!" He exclaimed loudly.

"Yes and you're my boyfriend. You're kinda cute, charming in your own way and you have a nice butt.

"Wha?"

"You afraid of dating the daughter of the Orb President?"

"Well, no, it's not that…"

"Then its settled then. You're taking me out. I know a place in the city's commercial centre you can take me."

"I can't, I'm in the Titan military, remember? I can't just go AWOL, I'll probably get shot or something."

"If I beg Kuro and Terry, they might be able to get you onto Orb soil for a few days. Besides, isn't your Strike Gundam made partly by Nord Industries? I'm sure they'll want to have a look over it while you're there."

"Maybe, but I don't want to trouble you." He said, looking up at the dark cave ceiling.

"You're making excuses. Is it because…you don't like me?" She said with a hurt voice.

"No! It's not like that!"

"Then you do like me."

"What? Wait! No! Aaaa…you're as bad as Tano."

"You're so funny, you know that don't you Marcus?"

"Ugh…whatever you say, Kriss." It was a brilliant manoeuvre. He was outflanked and his forces completely wiped out. He sighed deeply. He could feel Kriss' warmth through her normal suit, her rhythmic breathing and the weight of her head on his shoulder. She was asleep. Kriss' warmth washed over Marcus. It was a feeling he felt when he was with his parents, when he was with someone who cared and loved him. He realised that he might really be in love. Those thoughts drifted within his head while he, too, dozed off.

-----

Torii flew around with a few white seagulls in the blue sunlit sky. A few clouds drifted by the island where Marcus, Kriss and Ryan had crashed on but there was no sigh of yesterday's storm.

Ryan, who had rolled up the sleeves of his normal suit due to the temperature being in the 80's, fiddled with the communications equipment in the Aegis Gundam with Kriss in the cockpit too trying to contact Orb. Marcus, on the other hand, was sat on the beach about from the pinkish red Aegis Gundam. When he checked up on the Strike Gundam, he found that the some components in the main engine and some of the outer verniers had melted during re-entry. That meant that the Strike Gundam was quite useless, unless someone fixes it. He has no choice but to go with Kriss.

"Yo! Marcus, we got a signal!" Ryan popped his head out of the cockpit. Marcus acknowledged it with a thumbs up sign. He was wondering what he would say to Ryan when they part again.

-----

"Marcus I'm going to ask you one last time, come back with me to ZAFT. They'll treat you much better than you are being treated in the Titans. At least you'll be with your own kind."

Ryan and Marcus sat alone on the beach. Kriss was off giving her Red Astray a good diagnostic. She had no idea on how to do it but Ryan and Marcus started her off and now she was ploughing through the mobile suit's computer.

"Aren't we all human?" Marcus said. He didn't mean for it to come out so sarcastically or philosophically but he didn't like the way that people treated normally born humans who didn't undergo genetic manipulation and those who did as different species.

"I-I just can't."

"Why?" Ryan wanted his friend to join him out of two reasons. One because it was part of his orders and two because he didn't want to fight Marcus again on the battlefield. And knowing the kind of mobile suits that they were piloting and the speed at which this conflict was spreading, they would eventually face each other again.

"Because I owe someone. I promised them something. That's why I can't leave."

"I see." Both of them stood up and looked at each other. Marcus put forward his hand. Ryan took it and shook it firmly. Torii was flying overhead chirped happily.

"Do you like Torii?"

"Yeah, it's great."

"It's a shame that you're not coming with me."

"I know."

"Remember our little oath with Kriss."

"Friends."

"Look after Torii and tell Kriss I said goodbye."

"I will. See you around Ryan."

"Yeah, see ya Marcus."


	11. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Lost and Found**

Syuu Untensu snored lightly as he catnapped in the cockpit of the Wing Gundam. The previous battle against Oz took a lot of his energy and left him fatigued. Though he was a sleep, his mind was alert. He heard everything, from the odd beep in his cockpit to the voices outside in the underground hanger. The training he received from Professor B conditioned him to survive in any and all possible situations during his mission and the ability to sleep while retaining conscious thought was one of the first things he learned. The training was hard but he started young, making the transition from a normal human being to a true soldier much easier.

The sound of a person's shoes tapping along the steel catwalk that the Wing Gundam was secured against echoed around Syuu's mind. He had singled out that particular sound from the background noise and estimated that whoever it is was coming to find him. Sure enough the footsteps stopped in front of the Wing Gundam's cockpit door.

"Hey! Is Syuu Untensu in there?" A man's voice shouted from outside over the sound of machinery and voices of the mechanics (or mech-men as the pilots would give affectionately to the people who maintains their Mobile Suits). Syuu didn't answer.

"Hey, I know you're in there. I've looked around the whole base and this is the only place I haven't looked." The voice shouted again. Syuu felt annoyed and tried to ignore him. "Listen you've got to come out of there sometime. You haven't left your Mobile Suit since we bought in here. Look I know you're in there, so stop trying to ignore me. Alright, I'm opening the door."

A continuous tone meant that the cockpit hatch was about to be opened from the outside. That function would normally be used in an emergency when the hatch mechanism was malfunctioning, but that didn't stop the guy from using it.

-----

Joshua Dean Revere, known to his friends as just Josh, didn't like the three new Mobile Suits that were standing in the Karaba's underground hanger. Nor did he like the fact that the three pilots were almost eight years younger than he was. Compared to Kalyn and Aislin, he was already ancient.

The hangar was the only place that he liked about the underground base. It was the only section that was kept, for the most part, cleaner than the rest of the base. Even if the entire hangar smelt like a decomposing possum thanks to all of the oil and fumes from the mobile suits and other machinery, he still preferred it. Though the hangar was only half full, it held over 15 mobile suits, most of them Maganac units from the Middle Eastern Alliance, and still had enough space to fit in a small cruiser. A haze of morning mist fell through the cracks in the large doors in the roof of the hangar. It never ceased to amaze Josh how the entire hangar floor could be lifted up all the way to ground level.

The seals on Wing Gundam's cockpit hatch hissed and unlocked themselves. The outer panel opened upwards while the inner protective panel swung downwards, making a little platform with the catwalk. Josh took a step backwards trying to peer inside the cockpit but a black blur sped out of it and shoved a gun under his chin.

Josh stumbled while trying to back away from the teenager but his back pushed against the catwalk railing; it was a long way down if he tried to jump. Syuu was wearing a black leather jacket with a pair of dark blue jeans, just like someone would of his age.

"H-hey, easy…" Beads of sweat began to form on Josh's forehead. He had been in similar situations before but there was something about the guy's murderous stare that made him nervous, "Y-you're Syuu, r-right? D-do you mind that our mech-men have a-a look at you're suit's damaged w-wing vernier?" He gripped the catwalk railing tightly, his mind wishing that someone would save him before he got his brains blown out of the other side of his skull.

"I don't like people who touch my Gundam." Syuu replied.

"OK…." He didn't want to antagonise the teenager further.

"And I really don't like people who disturb me when I'm sleeping." Syuu said. Josh felt Syuu push the gun harder under his chin.

"Heh, that was a joke, right?" Josh gulped, hard. He had never imagined that he might die in a situation like this.

"I wouldn't put it pass him." A voice came out of the red and white Gundam. The cockpit hatch hissed and opened and a tall teenager with short and spiked blond hair stepped out. As if nothing was out of the usual, he began to do some morning stretches.

"O-oi, you're Parith, right? Can you tell your friend to put his gun away?" Josh pleaded.

"Nope." The tone of indifference in Parith's voice nearly made Josh cry, "Look, even I'm not brave enough to stop him if he's like this. I might not have known him for long but I'm not going out of my way to get on his bad side. But if you're lucky enough, maybe his gun won't be loaded." Parith smiled and proceeded to stretch his arms and legs.

Josh looked back at Syuu, "You're not really gonna shoot me, right?"

"You could always test that theory." A third voice, this time it came out of the black Gundam standing on the other side of the Wing Gundam. Like on Parith's Heavyarms Gundam, the cockpit hatch opened and teenager dressed as a priest with sleek black hair climbed out.

"I couldn't really blame him," Strass, the pilot of the Deathscythe Gundam yawned, "I never like to be woke so rudely, especially at three am in the morning."

"OI! JOSH! BRING THE THREE PILOTS DOWN HERE! AISLIN WANTS TO MEET THEM!"

The voice boomed and echoed in the hangar bay. All three teenagers turned to look at the voice. Through the mist, they managed to make out the outline of a man standing by the illuminated doorway to the hangar.

"Heh, my colleague is calling me," Josh smiled nervously and pushed the gun aside gently, making sure that Syuu's finger didn't accidentally slip and pull the trigger. Syuu lowered the gun and slotted it into the holster around his waist.

Josh sighed loudly since he was now not in any danger. He composed himself, neatening up his collar and checking the little tuff of hair held in a pig-tail at the back of his head was still there, he finally introduced himself.

"My name is Joshua Dean Revere." He extends a hand out as a gesture of friendship only to see the three of them climbing down the steps of the catwalk. "Oi, I where are you going!"

"We're going to see this Aislin person." Strass replied as he buttoned up his pries outfit.

"But I wasn't done talking…" Josh sulked and followed them down.

------

The three pilots, Syuu, Parith and Strass stood in line facing a girl who was the same age, if not younger, than them. She wore her long red hair loose and let it flow gracefully down her slender figure. Though she looked fragile, there was something about the way in which she paced around the three of them gave her an air of authority. The problem was that Syuu, Parith nor Strass knew who she was. The thought of her being the Karaba base leader's daughter has crossed Strass' mind but Syuu and Parith had a hunch.

They were standing in a large briefing room. The walls of the room were made from uneven rock, implying that it was probably excavated in a hurry and without much consideration for ergonomic or aesthetic considerations. It was well lit by two hanging lights from the ceiling but other than that, the entire place seemed very badly made. There were wires everywhere, on the floor, along the walls and ceilings; no one seemed to mind the pungent odour that seemed to be emanating from a small room just outside.

"Look missy, we're here to meet with your leader. So if you'd run along and get your daddy…" Strass paused for a moment as he remembered that a person called _Aislin_ wanted to meet them, "Ah, your mommy for us."

He didn't see the glint of anger flash through the girl's eyes but he did feel her knee digging viciously into his groin. He winced and collapsed onto the floor.

"Baka." Syuu whispered. Josh, who was standing by the door to the briefing room, giggled. It was basically payback for not helping him earlier.

"Serves you right." The girl finally said. Strass was in a foetal position on the floor, hoping that the blow did not make him sterile, "From your clothes, I'm guessing that you're the one who piloted the black Gundam. That should teach you never to rush into a trap again."

The word 'Gundam' caught Syuu and Parith's attention. Though many people knew the name Gundam, since the name was the famous mobile suit piloted by the Federation ace during the Zeon War, but very few knew what the Gundam looked like. Even though their mobile suits bore no similarities in technology to the original Gundam mobile suit, their suit's head and torso designs were based upon the original. So if she knew what a Gundam was then…

"And you two," The girl turned her attention to Syuu and Parith, "What the hell are you doing in Europe anyway? Shouldn't you guys be in Orb getting ready for Operation Meteor?"

"The mission's been cancelled." Syuu answered sharply.

"The scientists who designed the Gundams decided that the mobile suits should not be used for such a despicable plan; and quite frankly even I don't agree with what my father is planning." Parith added.

The girl suddenly took an interest in Parith. She hopped over Strass' body and looked intently at Parith. The fact that she was almost one and a half foot shorter than him made her look like she was staring at something from a zoo.

"So you're Parith…" A smile formed on her face, "…well, let me introduce myself. My name is Aislin Blair, leader of the Karaba's European Division."

"Oh now she tells us…" Strass moaned on the floor.

Upon hearing the name, something within Syuu clicked. The name Blair ran bells throughout his mind and he realised that she might be _his_ relative.

"Do you know Professor Nonne Blair?"

"Eh?" Aislin turned her head towards Syuu, who was standing stock straight, "He's my grandfather. You must be Syuu aren't you?"

"Yes, sir!" He replied loudly and clearly as if talking to a superior officer in the military. If she was his granddaughter then the entire situation here would change for Syuu.

Aislin laughed.

"There's no need for you to call me sir. I'm a year younger than you."

"Fine." Syuu's training was completely military and he had never really felt comfortable without calling his superiors 'sir' but since she was the professor's granddaughter, he might as well get used to it. He watched as Aislin beckon to Parith and pointed to the door. Parith slipped his hands into his pockets and followed her out of the room.

"Is Strass OK?" Josh asked, pointing at his body. Syuu walked over to Strass and tapped his back with his shoe.

"Are you gonna get up?"

As if on cue Strass' jumped up off the ground as if nothing has happened.

"Damn, girl. I'll never be able to get all this dust off of this." Strass said. He dusted himself down and rearranged his collar, "How the hell does a girl her age manage to become the leader of the European division?"

"Well," Josh tilted back on the wooden chair and put both hands behind his head, "She has an IQ of 187, a mathematical and strategic genius, a pro at piloting mobile suits and a pretty good sniper…"

"_Is she a Coordinator?" _Strass whispered to Syuu as Josh continued the list of all the things that Aislin could do.

"…and she can do all that without having any of her genes being manipulated. Guess her father and grandfather's abilities are rubbing off on her!" Josh laughed to himself and promptly stopped when he realised both Syuu and Strass was looking at him as if he were a madman. He grabbed a seat at the front of the room and sat down.

"You guys might as well stay here. We're gonna have a mission briefing in a few minutes." Josh's eyes shifted to Syuu.

Usually Josh could tell by looking at someone whether they are a Natural, people being born without any genetic modifications at birth, or a Coordinator, people who did, but with Syuu there was something different. There was no doubt in his mind that Syuu was a Natural. However the speed at which he managed to shoot out of the cockpit and pin him to the catwalk railings was unreal, almost like someone who had their genes manipulated just for speed.

Josh had never felt uneasy around Coordinators since he grew up in a neighbourhood filled with Coordinators. But there was something disturbing about the thought about someone being created just for the purpose of fighting. Even though Syuu obviously was a Natural, it was from him that he understood why the mass lynching of Coordinator population in the former United States of America in CY 085 occurred.

The general population was scared that they wouldn't be able to compete with the more advanced Coordinators or that they were now lower on the food chain. Either way the Natural population struck and killed men, women and even children. The Titan and Oz governments finally decided to relocate the Coordinator population to outer space for their own protection and away from the things that would threaten the livelihoods of the Naturals living on Earth.

"Josh," Strass said as he sat down, "Was that guy who shouted at us a Coordinator?"

"What? You prejudice?" Josh retorted angrily.

"No. His vision was excellent, if not incredible. I could barely make out his shape let alone manage to tell who it was from where we were standing."

"Heh, that's Tim alright." Josh said and put his feet up onto the table in front of him, "He's not a Coordinator. He used to work for the Titans as a fighter pilot. An epic guy with brilliant eyesight; he survived through the Zeon War and World War III. The most capable pilot on the base, but now that you three are here I guess that means that we'll be out of the job soon."

"Don't bet on it." Strass said back jokingly.

-----

"STOP HOLDING ME BACK! I'M GOING TO TEAR THAT WOMAN'S HEAD OFF!"

Mason Graves struggled against Mark Schnieder and Marigbo Olwatomi. They were trying to hold him back from entering a room behind a pair of huge oak doors. Both of them, however, sympathised with Mason. They were fed false information for their last mission; his Excellency Riken's train was duplicated so that half of the troops assigned were decoys going to Lisbon while the others were escorting the real train to Warsaw.

Kathryn White and Major James Harris stood by the large Georgian style windows trying not to get involved.

The large doors creaked open. A man who wore a marine blue uniform stood in the entrance. Mason suddenly recoiled backwards at the sight of the man, which pushed him, Marigbo and Mark backwards and onto the floor. The three of them scrambled up and saluted, as did James and Kathryn.

"Ah, the Quest Team," The man said with an aristocratic tone, "Welcome to Warsaw."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, your Excellency!" All five of them replied loudly.

"Please, there's no need for such formalities." Riken Holm, the leader of the Oz military, said with a smile, "I should be grateful to you for the success of Operation Juggle." He walked over to Mason who seemed to be suppressing his urge to pounce on the woman who followed him out, Silvia Tyme.

"I understand how you must feel about being kept in the dark about Juggle, but please understand that Miss Tyme was simply following my orders, nothing more. So if you wish to blame anyone, please, blame me."

Riken watched the anger fade away from Mason's face. He knew that most soldiers who were under his command viewed him as a minor deity. His every command and order would be followed to the letter.

"Yes, sir. I apologise for my behaviour." It took Mason a lot of strength to apologise, usually his pride would never have allowed him to do so.

"No, I think it should be me who should be apologising." Riken said. He glanced around the corridor at each member of the Quest Team. They reminded him of his time with the Quest Team during the later years of World War III, "It was my decision to keep the finer details of Operation Juggle classified because it was imperative for the success of another operation, Operation Darling."

James Harris coughed loudly and choked on his spittle when he heard the words 'Operation Darling'. He knew that the Romefeller Foundation wanted to expand their influence further around the Earth but he had no idea that they were willing to go that far. Riken looked around at James, slightly amused at the sight of his old friend struggling to regain his composure.

"I see you know of what Romefeller is planning." The smile on his face disappeared, "Then I expect you to brief your team mates later, James. But the reason I called you here is to give you your assignment. I want the Quest Team to be the escorts for our _guests _for the Southampton Conference."

-----

The dusty briefing room that was previously empty was now filled with groups of Karaba soldiers and officers. Syuu, Strass and Parith sat at the back of the room with a group of men of Arab decent and a girl with dark blue hair. From what Syuu heard, the girl's name was Kalyn and they belonged with a squad called the Maganac Corp. Syuu stared coldly at the people in the room. He was trained to carry out missions alone and without any backup. He accepted the fact that he had to work with the other Gundam pilots, but being here with large group of possible teammates made him uneasy.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE! QUIET DOWN!" Josh shouted above the din of voices, "LET'S GET THIS BRIEFING STARTED!"

The room quietened and soon only the scraping sound of chair legs along the rocky floor could be heard.

"I know that this is short notice but our operatives in the Oz base at Munich just told us that the base is getting a surprise visit from General Brachev, or better known as the Butcher of Minsk." A collective murmur filled the briefing room when the name Butcher of Minsk was mentioned.

"Most of you here will probably have a grudge against that man and now we have an opportunity to remove him from the picture for good." Suddenly, almost everyone in the room bursts into conversation. There was an air of excitement and anticipation as the chatter grew louder.

"Who's this General Brachev? I know he's an Oz General…" Strass leaned over to Parith so the Karaba members couldn't hear him.

"General Brachev is an Oz _Prize_ General. He works for Oz but takes orders from the Romefeller Foundation rather than Riken Holm. The General was the one who planned and carried out the European Purge. It's natural for almost everyone in this room to hate him." Parith said plainly.

"So I guess he was the one who rounded up all the opponents to the Oz government and had them all executed in Minsk?"

"That's him." Strass and Parith turned their attention back to Josh who was trying to keep the room quiet so he could continue. The babble soon died down.

"Our operatives have also informed us that the best way to dispose the General is by taking him out with snipers." He turns and switches on a view screen showing a topographic map of the area around Oz's Munich base.

"The area around the base is mainly flat plains, but there is one hill in grid D3 that would be high enough to obtain a clear view of the entire base. But there is a problem," He pointed at an area covered with contour lines, "the hill is around 2.25 kilometres away from the base but our best high-calibre rifle is 2 kilometres. That means that whoever volunteers for the mission will probably have to use the flat-"

"I have a 2.5 kilometres high definition lens and a high calibre rifle with a range of 2.7 kilometres." Syuu interrupted. Everyone in the room turned around and stared at him, amazed that a teenager would have such technology at his fingertips.

"I'm guessing you're volunteering?"

"Yes, but I'm going alone." Syuu answered in his normal toneless voice.

"OK…" Josh didn't like Syuu's attitude, "You'd better not be promising more than you can deliver."

"I won't." Syuu stood up, ready to leave. At the moment Aislin, who was sitting at the front of the room, stood up.

"I'll go with him."

"Aislin…" Josh spluttered. It wasn't like her to work with new people, hell; she had often refused to work with newcomers into the European Division. He wondered whether something was wrong.

"I don't trust the newbie by himself out there. Anyway for these kinds of missions two snipers are needed in case one of them is taken down, right?" She walks over to Syuu.

"Uh…" For the first time in his life, Syuu hesitated. He would have refused for anyone to join him on the mission, but when she looked at him, for an instant he felt Professor B's presence, she was his granddaughter after all.

"That wasn't a request, Syuu Untensu. It was an order." She stared right into Syuu's eyes. It was then he noticed that she had the same eyes as Professor B.

"Yes, m'am!" Syuu stood to attention, which generated a few sniggers from the Karaba soldiers and pilots.

"OK then it's sorted, you two go." Josh switched off the screen, "General Brachev is renowned for his promptness and rigid control over his timetable. He arrives at the base at 0800 hours. The reports say that there will be a short parade of the base's personnel at 0830 hours, which lasts exactly one hour and thirty minutes, and he will leave the base at 1010 hours. From what our operatives tells us, he will be standing at the main pavilion, flanked by the base commander and one of his senior aides. You should be able to single him out from the rest of the Oz trash by his red Oz Prize uniform. Once the General is down, our operatives say that they will set off incendiary devices near the base's ammunition and mobile suit stores as well as several guard positions ready so that you two can get away." Josh looked at his watch.

"Its 0330 hours. It's a four-hour drive from here to the Munich base so you two better get going. Remember there will be no backup for you so try not to screw it up. That's basically the gist of it." He picked up a pile of paper, "I've got weather forecasts, patrol timetables, terrain information, lunch time menus for the next two weeks, you want it I've got it. Right people back to work!"

The Karaba personnel began mingling out of the room and heading in different directions around the base. Syuu stayed behind to collect the information while Parith and Strass went back to their Gundams to begin repair work. Aislin stayed with Syuu and discussed their strategy in the briefing room before leaving. As Aislin left the room, she found that Kalyn, the girl with the Maganac soldiers waiting for her outside.

"So," Kalyn began walking beside Aislin, "What do you think?"

"What do you mean?" Aislin said as she checked her immediate vicinity to make sure that no one was around, especially the three Gundam pilots.

"Oh you know what I mean." Kalyn smiled cheekily.

"Well, I kinda think they're cute." Aislin didn't know why she was bothering having this conversation.

"Really?" Kalyn squealed, "I like the tall one, whatshisname, Parith, right? Isn't he the son of Nord Industry's CEO? Wonder if he'll take me to Orb one day."

"Hey, that's not fair, he's mine!" Aislin laughed and began walking again while looking at the maps that she got from Josh.

"What about the one who volunteered to go with you?"

Aislin fell quiet. She had wondered what her grandfather was doing when he left the family home to work in space. She remembered playing with him when she was three years-old; the thought about him lifting her onto his shoulders was impressive for a man over fifty but it made her worry about him. It has almost been fifteen years since he left and she hasn't seen him or heard from him since. Now Syuu comes down from space telling her that he was working for her grandfather gave her renewed hope of being able to see him again.

Though the guy was cute, his personality was cold, frozen even. Plus she hadn't heard him say anything, which wasn't related to the mission. Maybe if he was friendlier but then again, why did she volunteer to go on a mission with him? It definitely was out of character for her to go with someone she barely knew. It could be because she felt that if she got close to him she would be able to get close to her grandfather. But was she trying to do that? Aislin's mind began to overload with questions.

"He's OK." She replied without much enthusiasm and tried to put those things at the back of her mind. She brushed several strands of her glowing red hair out of her face and pushed them behind her ear.

"Well, then what about that priest guy, Strass?"

"Him? Not in this lifetime."

-----

Strass suddenly felt a chill up his spine. He took his head out a panel on the Deathscythe Gundam' leg and looked around the hangar bay and saw nothing out of the usual.

_Why do I suddenly feel alienated…?_

-----

Syuu and Aislin's jeep sped down the rather empty highway towards Munich. Since the Karaba base was nestled deep within the Alps in the still neutral state of Switzerland it made travelling around Europe very quick and easy. It made sense to have a base right under your enemy's nose while making sure that they wouldn't dare enter a neutral country to hunt them down. The Karaba made sure that misinformation was spread throughout Europe that their base is somewhere in the eastern bloc countries. Syuu really marvelled at how well the Karaba have managed to survive and still carry out missions with such efficiency.

It was five thirty am in the morning and the sun was rising in the distance, giving the entire highway an orange glow. The stars above them were still there but they were quickly fading as sunlight replaced them.

"Wow, never knew that these lenses existed." She was all giddy from seeing the amazing piece of technology, "I thought the max distance for a manufactured lens was only 2 kilometres because of the sniper rifle's range?"

"It is. The lens your holding was specially designed me and Professor B-" Syuu suddenly remembered that only he called the Professor like that. Everyone else called him Professor Blair, "I mean Professor Blair. For Operation Meteor could have required some high ranking officers to be eliminated so we made the lens and the ultra-calibre rifle."

Aislin stared at the lens. It was something that her grandfather made. As she held it, she remembered the wooden doll that her grandfather carved for her from some firewood when she was three. It was a going away present from him and she treasured it. Then when the Oz soldiers came the doll was turned to ashes when they burned the entire village down. She carefully placed the lens down on the jeep's dashboard and felt the warmth of the sun take over from the cold wind blowing through her hair.

"About Operation Meteor…"

"Operation Meteor has been unofficially cancelled." Syuu responded quickly as if he was waiting for her to ask, "The three scientists who created the Gundams for the mission decided that the mobile suits needed to a different role in the war. Operation Meteor would have meant possible recurrence of another conflict like the Zeon War. Professor Blair said that even though my new mission might still cause this conflict to end badly, but at least there was still a chance of it ending in a good way, whereas Operation Meteor would mean…"

Aislin understood what Syuu was saying. If the AEUG went ahead with Operation Meteor, it would mean a massive shift in the balance of power on Earth and in space. Cars were beginning to speed past on the other side of the highway.

"What time is it?" Syuu asked.

"Almost 0700." She yawned. Suddenly the jeep surged forwards as Syuu slammed his foot down on the accelerator. Aislin was pulled into the seat as the wind and G-force pressed her down.

_Two hours to go…hope granddaddy trained you well._

-----

General Brachev wasn't someone you would perceive to be a General. He was short, overweight and had thinning hair, plus when he wore the red Oz Prize high-ranking officer's uniform it made him look like a human-sized shrimp. But these things never bothered him, not before and especially not now. Thoughts about Operation Darling occupied his mind.

He had wondered why the Romefeller Foundation gave Riken Holm the responsibility of seeing the operation through rather than giving him the assignment. Sure he was heavy handed when it came to subtle schemes but things would get done if he were in command. If the Romefeller Foundation handed to him the assignment a week ago the operation would have been a complete success by now. He would have done it in a way that many people would not approve, but it was his job to get these things done at any cost.

His polished black limousine stopped at the main gates of the Munich base and the head of a guard peered into the window and waved them through. He didn't like troops who lazed around so by paying them a visit every now and then ensured that they were kept on their toes.

He watched from the tinted windows of the limousine the new Oz soldiers doing their daily exercises while mechanics worked on the Leo and Aries mobile suits stationed at the base. It always filled his heart with pride to see the Oz military standing tall, above the rebels trying to undermine their new civilisation. Being one of the original four Generals of Oz, Brachev felt it was his personal responsibility to ensure that the new Oz military remains strong and become respected and feared throughout the Earth-Moon system. And that time was nearing.

A shiver went up his spine as he thought about just how powerful he was. He was in command of several divisions of regular Oz troops and also in command of several more of the Romefeller Foundation's private army, Oz Prize. A man with his strategic intellect and skills of foresight he could easily take down a force twice the size that he commanded.

Then he remembered the label 'Butcher of Minsk'. He didn't like people who gave arbitrary names to individuals, especially him. What he did in Minsk was a blessing to the Oz state.

The men, women and children he ordered to be executed were insurgents or insurgents to be. They posed a risk to all those who lived wished to live in peace. He had often thought whether he was rationalising mass murder but he realised that it wasn't murder he was trying to rationalise, he was trying to rationalise killing vermin. No ordinary person would question whether or not to kill pests.

He didn't like the so-called 'Karaba' and 'AEUG'. They were nothing compared to him and his troops. But like all vermin, if one survives you can be sure that there will be more. More accurately, they aren't vermin. They're weeds. And the only way to get rid of weeds is to pull out the root. But with Riken at the helm of the regular Oz military, the day that the root is dug up would be the day that the devil has to scrape ice off his windshield.

He didn't like Riken or that Quest Team that served under him. In his opinion, no mobile suit team should be given that much autonomy. Especially that Major James Harris, always going off and acting on his own without orders. If it were up to Brachev, he would have had Harris flogged and hanged for insubordination and inability to follow orders. He didn't like people who were too independent.

The limousine stopped outside the base command centre and a MP Officer dressed in ceremonial uniform stepped forwards and opened his door. Brachev stepped out and found that the man was almost a foot taller than him. He didn't like people who were too tall.

-----

Aislin had always hated the smell of exhaust fumes. Be it from her mobile suit or that of a car, she disliked the stinging feeling that in her nose and always tried to avoid it. But she was stuck on an open-top jeep in the middle of a traffic-jam on the German highway. The smell of carbon compounds assaulted her senses. She glanced at her watch: 0913. They weren't going to make it in time with all this traffic.

"Aislin, how fast can you run?"

"Wha-?" She said, confused.

"I said, how fast can you run?" Syuu asked again. She realised what he wanted to do.

"I'm OK at long distance running, but the base is still 6 kilometres away, I don't think we're-"

"Never hesitate. Even in the face of adversity act without the fear or your own doubts will consume you." Syuu picked up his telescopic lens that Aislin placed on the dashboard, "It doesn't matter if the mission fails. As long as we try and worry about hind-sight later, there is always a chance of success."

Aislin was surprised that a person such as Syuu would sprout such deep and meaningful phrases. She watched him reach to the back of the jeep and swung the two sniper rifle carrier cases over his shoulder. He climbed out of the jeep amid strange looks from the drivers of the other cars and extended a hand to Aislin. She wondered whether she could run 6 kilometres in less than forty minutes.

Aislin looked into Syuu's eyes and thought about his words. She has to try. General Brachev needs to be taken down. He was the one who ordered her family to be executed. If she wanted revenge she would need to be strong.

She grabbed hand and was yanked out of the car. The two of them began sprinting down the highway with various disgruntled drivers shouting at them to move their jeep.

-----

General Brachev watched the Oz troops move through the barrack's dusty square. Their black uniforms with embroidered golden patterns on their collars and their Oz style military caps. He was proud of the men here, but he would never be as proud of them as he is of his Oz Prize troops. The Oz Prize and the Oz military are work for the Oz government but the difference between them is that the Oz military is under the command of Riken and the Commons parliament. Oz Prize, on the other hand, takes orders from him, four other Generals and the Parliament of the Lords, otherwise known as the Romefeller Foundation.

He leaned over to his senior aide and whispered something. The aide promptly laughed. The officers around him gave him undignified looks but said nothing. In reality, Oz Prize troops often look down on regular Oz troops and over the years tension has been building up between the two militaries. Fights were common between the senior officers, trying to gain greater budget spending for their men while the lower down soldiers would often have fistfights. If the ZAFT conflict did not begin, the two militaries may have fallen apart.

-----

"There's the hill!" Aislin panted as she and Syuu sprinted towards it. Syuu pulled on the strap for the sniper rifles he was carrying and took out his sleek, black rifle. Still running, Syuu reached into the top pocket of his jacket, pulled out several elongated bullets and inserted them into the rifle. He ran past a small forest of thick oak trees that were covered in leaves, before reaching the top of the mound.

Without looking back to where Aislin was, he dived onto the ground and took aim. He adjusted the sniper rifle lens so that it zoomed into the base. He could almost hear the sound of the Oz soldier's footsteps as they paraded around the base's central square. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as he tried desperately to find General Brachev. He heard the sound of footsteps behind him, thinking that Aislin just caught up with him, he continued his search.

Moving the gun by millimetres, Syuu scanned the entire base and then zooming in further by twisting the lens. Finally he found the small pavilion where the General would be seated. He would have zoomed in further but something hard poked into the back of his head.

"Drop your weapon, scum." A man behind Syuu said.

Syuu lowered the rifle and got up slowly. His hand reached for the pistol in the holster around his waist.

"I'll take that." Another man said. This soldier, dressed in the standard Oz uniform, sidestepped around Syuu when he got up. He removed the gun from the Syuu's holster and tossed it aside. Syuu put both of his hands up and looked around; Aislin was nowhere to be seen. The man who threw his pistol aside took his sniper rifle and threw it over to where the pistol was.

"Where's your friend? We saw two of you running up the hill." The Oz soldier with the sergeant insignia on his soldiers asked Syuu. Syuu observed that the soldier's face muscles were twitching slightly, a sure sign of nervousness. He would have to use this to his advantage. He was still troubled by Aislin's disappearance, he was sure that she was right behind him. Maybe she had seen the two soldiers and taken off to hide, but it wasn't something that she would do, or at least it wasn't something that he thought she would do. Suddenly, the oak trees that Syuu passed earlier began to rustle and a flock of starlings flew out of its leaves. The other Oz soldier, who only had a private insignia, flinched and pointed his automatic rifle towards the small oak forest.

"Go check it out." The sergeant ordered the private. At first the private ran up to the trees but then stopped. He peered into the trees and entered cautiously.

-----

The Oz private walked slowly and carefully past the large trunks of the trees, making sure that every step he makes wouldn't be his last. The leaves above him blocked out most of the sunlight but the occasional ray managed to permeate through the spaces between them, creating pillars of light all around him. It was rare, now, to see something like this because of the expansion of cities and devastation of the Zeon War and World War III. It made the soldier feel at peace.

A sudden rustling startled him. The fear made him jump. He spun around and pointed his rifle in the direction that the sound came from. Nothing.

The Oz private was young and inexperienced so the whole ordeal of having to find an enemy who could ambush him at any moment scared the hell out of him. He wanted to run away but his legs rooted him to the spot. His mind was trying to find a way out but the pride of wearing the Oz told him to stay.

His mind was so preoccupied that he didn't even notice Aislin lower herself from an oak branch behind him. She crept silently up to him with her hunting knife in hand. As soon as she was close enough, in one swift motion Aislin put her free hand around the soldier's mouth, pulled his head back and cut deeply into his throat the knife. The Oz private didn't stand a chance and fell to the ground, his blood pooled below him.

-----

"Mayfin, do you read, over?" The Oz sergeant called into his radio. It had already been five minutes since the Oz private entered into the oak forest and the sergeant was getting worried. All he got back was static.

Syuu, on the other hand, was becoming agitated as he just stood there with his hands placed on his head. He had a quick glimpse at his watch before the Oz soldiers came and he knew he only had 10 minutes left before the General leaves the pavilion, now he only had five. He tried to find the right moment to jump the Oz sergeant, but the man hadn't taken his eyes off him, even for a split second.

The sergeant finally gave up.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" He asked with a large smirk that gave Syuu the creeps. The sergeant began moving away from him while checking that his rifle was loaded, "Well, I guess this is goodbye." He pointed his rifle at Syuu and aimed at his head.

A single gunshot rang through the air.

Syuu opened his eyes to see the sergeant firing randomly into the oak forest. There was a large patch of blood on his back but the man still managed to hold his rifle and retaliate. Syuu seized the opportunity and dashed towards his guns. The Oz soldier spun suddenly and saw what Syuu was doing. His finger squeezed the trigger but Syuu had already picked up his sniper rifle. He leapt backwards and fired.

The bullet coursed through the sergeant's head and came out the other side. The man crumpled to the ground.

Without worrying about how that soldier was shot in the back, Syuu turned his attention back to his mission, General Brachev. He took another bullet out of his jacket's breast pocket and reloaded his rifle. Taking the position at the top of the hill again, Syuu began his search again for the General.

He twisted the telescopic lens and found the pavilion where his target would be standing. From the viewfinder, he could see the parade was about to end as most of the soldiers were standing in the centre of the base's square, probably listening to the General's speech or something.

He scanned through the black uniforms of the base commanders and officers until he finally found the distinctive red Oz Prize General's uniform. He zoomed in further until he finally saw the General Brachev's balding head. Lining up the sights inside the lens, he fired.

The shot missed. The bullet hit an officer who stood next to Brachev in the shoulder. Syuu cursed loudly. Without taking his eye away from the viewfinder, he used his instincts to reload his rifle.

The pavilion was in chaos, with officers diving about. General Brachev, who didn't seem to know what was going on, stood stock-still. Syuu was amazed that the Brachev still haven't moved in the three seconds it took for him to reload.

This time Syuu calculated the wind factor according to the position of the officer he hit with his first shot. He adjusted his sights and pulled the trigger. This time the bullet hit home. The highly accelerated bullet plunged into the General's skull, which exploded like a giant melon. As if on cue, explosions ripped throughout the base. The barracks and ammunition dumps were gone in an instant while the mobile suit hangar was engulfed in flames. The Oz soldiers began to scatter around the base like frightened ants, either trying to extinguish the burning buildings or to douse the flames on their comrades.

Relieved, Syuu sighed loudly and placed the sniper rifle on the ground. With all the commotion within the base, it'll be a while before any of the Oz personnel in the Munich base can send anything after him or Aislin. Then he realised that he still didn't have a clue where she was. He scanned the immediate area saw Aislin limping out of the forest, holding her left leg.

"Guess the party started without me…!" Aislin shouted as she hobbled into the clearing. As she got closer to Syuu, he realised that her left trouser leg was stained with blood.

Syuu ran over to Aislin and helped her sit on a large rock. Without saying anything, he reached into his jacket and brought out a pocketknife and a packet of white powder. Aislin winced as he tore her trouser leg off with the knife to reveal a large patch of blood around a hole where a bullet had entered her flesh. Syuu used the trouser leg that he just tore off to wipe the wound clean. He tore the pack of white powder open with his teeth and poured it on the wound.

"What is that stuff?" Aislin asked, holding back the urge to scream out in pain.

"A morphine and antiseptic compound, something your grandfather developed." Syuu replied, "You might want to take these." He handed Aislin two blue pills."

"What for?"

"Pain suppressors. I'm gonna have to remove the bullet before we go anywhere." Syuu held up the pocketknife, waiting for her.

Seeing that she really didn't have a choice, Aislin popped the pills into her mouth and gulped them down. Almost immediately, numbness spread throughout her body. She felt like she was floating until a sudden sharp pain in her leg woke her. She looked down at her leg. A white bandage tightly bound the wound, the pain she just felt had disappeared.

"Come on, I'll carry you." Syuu's voice sounded distant, "The pills should wear off in an hour." They were the last things that Aislin heard before falling asleep.

-----

Granddaddy, I wanted to see you so much. After mom and dad died I tried to look for you. That's why I joined the Karaba.

_They took me in as one of their own. But after all these years, I have still yet to see you. I feel so lonely. I don't want to be alone._

Aislin…

_Granddaddy. I'm alone._

Aislin…

_I'm so alone._

Aislin…wake up.

-----

Aislin drowsily opened her eyes; the sounds of cars passing by filled the air. As she slowly woke, she found that she was lying on the ground with Syuu sitting next to her. The effects of the pills had mostly worn off. She shot up off the ground but a piercing pain in her leg forced her back down.

"You really shouldn't do that." Syuu said without looking at her.

Aislin looked around and saw that they were besides the highway where they had left the jeep. The problem was the jeep was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's the jeep?" She asked, sitting up slowly this time.

"I saw a tow truck and a police vehicle take it away as we got here. Looks like we'll have to walk back."

Aislin swore. It's just her luck, first being shot and now she has to walk back home. She turned to Syuu and saw the same expressionless face.

"If we have to walk then I guess we'd better get going." She tried to stand up but the pain in her leg to too much. She crumpled to the ground again.

Syuu sighed. He walked over to Aislin and sat down with his back towards her. As he sat down, a piece of paper fell out of a pocket. He didn't seem to notice it falling out or Aislin catching it before it fell to the ground.

"Grab on, I'll carry you."

Aislin was slightly unsettled by the fact that a guy who seemed so distant before but now was this kind young man. Syuu cocked his head backwards, "I'd suggest you get on. It's going to be a long walk. I'd rather get back sooner rather than later."

With help from Syuu she clambered onto his back and put her arms around his neck. She let out a small gasp when he grabbed both of her legs and lifted her off the ground. It has been a long time since someone has carried her like that.

Even though the tree trunks were thick, there was enough room for them to walk through and follow the highway without being noticed by drivers passing by. Syuu quickly navigated his way around the trees, every now and again he would have to slow down to avoid tripping over roots that have come above the ground.

Aislin leaned her head on his shoulders, still slightly dizzy from pills, and felt Syuu's heart beat. She was about to say something to Syuu about the piece of paper but curiosity got the best of her. She brought her hand with the paper towards her while her other arm made sure that she wouldn't fall off.

It was a photograph. The image showed a group of men and women in an assortment of different clothing. Most of them were in different coloured mech-men jumpsuits but two stood out from the rest. One of them was Syuu; wearing exactly the same thing he is wearing now except the jacket looked newer and shinier. The other was an old man standing directly behind Syuu. He had long grey hair and wore a pair of goggles. He was taller than Syuu and his white lab coat almost shone in contrast to Syuu's black jacket. Aislin didn't know exactly who the old man was until she noticed his smile.

"Granddaddy, you've changed so much…"

-----

It was a clear night, not a single cloud in the sky. The twinkling stars and the full moon illuminated the open field where Aislin and Syuu were. She sat by a large oak tree while Syuu lied on his back next to her. Both of them were gazing up at the heavens.

"Never thought that the stars could look so different from Earth." Syuu mumbled to himself.

His voice brought Aislin back down to Earth. Whenever she looked up at the stars their beauty would often engross her. It was then that she remembered that she still had the photograph that fell out of Syuu's pocket.

"Umm…" She held the photograph over Syuu's face, "This fell out of your jacket. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

Sitting up, Syuu took the photograph and used the light from the moon to see the people that were in it. "You know which one of them is your grandfather?" Aislin nodded. She watched him as he used a cloth from his jacket to clean off their fingerprints from the photo.

She saw him smile.

Even though she had only known him for a day, it was the first time she had seen him show any sign of human emotion. A sensation of happiness washed over her. She didn't know why she was suddenly felt happy but the feeling disappeared as soon as Syuu put the photograph back into his jacket. It was strange to suddenly feel an emotion, but it made her feel good.

"I err…want to thank you. For carrying me this far." She knew Syuu must be exhausted from carrying her most of the afternoon and supporting her as she began to walk again.

"It's OK." Syuu answered, without any kind of emotion, "You get some sleep. I'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious."

"Thanks." She looked back up at the millions of stars above them and slowly closed her eyes.

-----

"How's the leg?"

Kayln walked up to Aislin who was leaning against the wall, looking up at the three AEUG Gundams. The hangar bay was unusually quiet since there were no missions planned that required the use of mobile suits but a few mech-men were loitering around the Gundams, marvelling at their form and design.

Aislin tapped her foot on the ground, "It's fine."

"I still can't believe that Syuu guy carried you all the way back from Munich. That guy really is something. Maybe the guy's got a crush on you." Kayln teased. "It took you guys over a day to get back…so what did you do during the night?"

"NOTHING!" Aislin yelled back, embarrassed, "We stayed in a field. I slept while he kept watch."

"Oh? Then why are you blushing?"

Aislin wanted to argue but decided against it. After all, Kayln would throw anything she says back at her, so there's no point in trying.

"So I'm guessing Syuu's off limits and Parith's up for grabs?" Kayln teased again. Aislin glanced at the blue haired girl, wondering whether she was being serious or not.

"I don't know."

Silenced followed as both girls tried to digest what each other was saying. The mech-men by the Wing Gundam were arguing loudly about the wing thrusters and how fast the mobile suit would go.

Kayln tilted her head backwards so that it leaned against the wall, "What about that Strass guy?"

"No chance."

"Guess you're right."

-----

Sitting down to lunch in the canteen, Strass felt a tingle travel up his spine.

_What the hell? Why do I get the feeling I've been left out of something again?_

-----

Silvia Tyme's high heels clicked every time she made a step along the marble floor of Warsaw mansion. She disliked wearing high-heeled shoes but they were the only pair that went with her brown Oz Prize uniform. She clutched a bunch of documents in her hand; it seemed to her that every time that she was with Riken Holm she would be holding some kind of document.

She opened a pair of glass doors that led into to a beautiful blooming garden. Sitting at a small table was Riken Holm, savouring a cup of tea. She carefully stepped around some dendrobium orchids that were hanging lazily off a branch and walked up behind him. Before she could speak, he held up his gloved hand.

"I always find drinking green tea in the afternoon relaxing. Don't you Miss Tyme?" He said as he took a sip from the delicate teacup.

Silvia's held the documents up to her chest, "I wouldn't know, your Excellency. I rarely drink tea."

Riken stood up. The gold embroidery and other decorations on his blue uniform shone in the April sun. "You really should. It can free the soul and mind from the stresses of reality. Would you like to join me?" He beckoned to the seat at the other end of the short table.

Silvia was shocked at the sudden request but she kept her usual expression and sat down opposite of Riken. He poured some tea into an empty teacup.

"I suppose this visit is about the late General Brachev?" Riken stood up and walked over to Silvia with the teacup, which caused Silvia to shoot up from her seat. He handed her the tea and watch her take a sip before sitting back down.

"Good, isn't it?"

Silvia answered with just a nervous smile. She sat down slowly and placed the delicate teacup down onto the table.

"Your Excellency, the Romefeller Foundation is extremely disappointed in you about incident at Munich." She tried to hide the fact that the tea made her feel all fuzzy inside, "Lord Alexis does not want any more mistakes, especially during Operation Darling."

"I understand. Tell Lord Alexis that all will be fine during Operation Darling." Riken closed his eyes, "How is the investigation coming along with General Brachev's assassination?"

Silvia took a sheet of paper out of the bundle of documents that she was carrying and handed it to Riken, "The investigations team found the bodies of a Private Mayfin and Sergeant Jimm on a hill around two kilometres from the Munich base. They also found several bullet casings by their bodies that are not Oz issue, those are being analysed now. From the preliminary analysis, they are from-"

"Miss Tyme," Riken interrupted. He stared intently at her, "If I asked you to betray Oz Prize and Romefeller Foundation, what would you do?"

Silvia was speechless. She had never expected Riken to ever ask her such a question.

"It's fine." Riken took another sip of tea, "I'll leave you to think about it. You may leave if you do not feel comfortable. We can continue this another day."

Silvia picked up the documents from the table and stood up. She saluted and quickly left the garden.

"I'm sorry I asked you that question, Silvia, but you will eventually have to make that choice." Riken looked up at the sparrows that were courting each other above the garden. How he envied their ability to be so carefree.

"I can just hope that those boys can act and perform the way that I want them to."


	12. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Destination 

The bridge of the York shook violently. The warning shots from the pursuing EUF Argama-Class ship and its two escorts became deadly volleys of mega particle beams and missiles. Rika was thankful that the York and two remaining Salamis-Class ships still had enough fight in them to speed through the debris field of destroyed battleships and mobile suits. With Siegfried Reinable at the helm of her ship, Rika's nails dug into her seat as she watched him dodge one piece of wreckage after another.

"Jesus!" Reinable yelled and spun the ship's wheel to the right to avoid another mega particle blast.

The York was the second Argama-Class to be built and the engineers felt that an old fashioned wheel would give the helmsman a greater feel for the ship. The design was limited to the York because of the amount of time that the engineers spent tinkering to make the ship respond instantly and to perfect precision. The York's original helmsman loved the wheel and had always handled the ship with care. But when a missile hit below the bridge, he was thrown from the helm and into the ceiling. The impact killed instantly. Rika had no choice except have Reinable replace him.

"Captain!" Hana Trinkov shouted over the rumbling and yells from several members of the crew putting out small fires, "The Southampton is reporting that their engines are losing."

"Lieutenant Reinable, how long before we're out of this debris field?"

"Five minutes, max." He replied, looking far into the distance gauging the distance between the debris and the stars, "You could always send out the MS, Captain."

Rika bit her lip. She knew that sending out MS would be the best strategy but that would mean a direct confrontation with the EUF ships, an order that she thought she would never have to give. She also knew that the derelict ships often contained live ammunition. Even though a stray shot from mega particle cannons might not cause them to explode, but a mini-nuclear explosion from a MS could turn the whole region into a large fireball.

She looked out of the main viewer showing large pieces of rock and metal outside the ship, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Ensign, send this message to the Southampton and the Shanghai: 'Execute hook manoeuvre'." Hana seemed confused at Rika's order but she carried it out without hesitation. Within seconds, an angry captain began shouting into Hana's ear. She patched it through to Rika's chair receiver.

"Are you out of your mind!" Teg Nimri, the Captain of the Southampton, yelled, "We lost most of our rear guns and you expect me to go through that plan?"

"Giver her a chance," the Captain of the Shanghai, Mike Hutter, joined in, "It's less than five minutes till we get out of the field."

"What about the MS? Can't I at least send out some of my Jegans? My pilots have been complaining non-stop-"

"No." Rika interrupted, "There's too much of a risk. If just one mobile suit is destroyed, the nuclear explosion would probably cause a chain reaction in those ships and blow us all to bits. That's probably why Captain Calais hasn't sent out his suits either. They want us alive."

There was a flicker of anger in Teg's eyes. "Well, you better make it quick. I've lost about 10 of my crew already." He said, cutting the transmission.

Rika put the receiver down and began barking out orders at a feverous pace.

"Paul, increase Minovsky particle broadcast to maximum and charge the forward mega particle cannon to maximum. Hana, keep a continuous laser communications line between us and the Southampton and the Shanghai; notify me of any changes in their status. Lieutenant Reinable, increase speed to maximum, put as much distance between us and the Southampton."

-----

Teg sank back into his chair and watched the two ships push on ahead through the debris. When the stray beam hit the Southampton's engines, his engineers said that it would only function at 50.

"Helm, shunt all power to the engines. I want to get out of here as quickly as possible."

He secured his normal suit's helmet and shut all of the connecting seals. Sitting back and watching the main view screen, he realised that there was nothing he could do but wait.

-----

"Sir, the York and Shanghai are leaving the Southampton behind."

Captain Calais raised an eyebrow. Something strange is going on. He had transmitted a request for Rika to surrender but the message he got back was strange. Though garbled, Rika mentioned something about the top brass wanting to execute them for a crime they did not commit.

For a long time, he already knew that there was something wrong with the higher ups of the EUF. Oz and the Titans had put a lot of pressure on them to stop the ZAFT threat on Earth after the destruction of the Acteria base. But the EUF was a peacekeeping organisation, not an organisation to commit aggressive action against another nation. Calais had received senseless orders before, but his latest one to capture the _renegade_ Londo Bell Fleet stunned even him. But now wasn't the time to think of the meaning of his orders, there was a mission to complete.

_Admiral Bell must have taught her some manoeuvres to use in these situations._ He wondered to himself, trying to figure out Rika's strategy. Having only met her once at the EUF Captain's promotion ceremony, his first impression of her was that she was still very green. Following every order she was given to the letter should have made her very predictable but after her little stunt on Grenada, he wasn't too sure.

_What is she trying to accomplish by leaving one of her ships behind?_

"Helm, increase speed to maximum. Tell the Johannesburg and Cape Town to form up behind us. If they're leaving the Southampton behind, I want to capture it as soon as possible."

"Aye, sir!" The helmsman replied. Instantly, Calais felt the ship surge forward.

"Sir, Minovsky density increasing past 0.7!" The sensor operator shouted.

Calais looked at the operator, surprised. _Rika, what are you trying to do?_

"Ignore it. Our target is the Southampton. Stop all weapons fire. Keep your eye on the proximity sensors. Tell the Johannesburg and Cape Town to cease fire too." Calais ordered, hoping that this wasn't all a very big mistake.

_She's got to have something special up her sleeve._

Several uneventful minutes passed by. The space in front of the Okalahoma suddenly cleared revealing a dazzling sea of stars. It was then that Calais realised what Rika was planning.

"Full stop! Bring the engines to full reverse!" He shouted but it was already too late. Several beams sliced through the three ship's engines, crippling them. Calais clung onto his chair's armrest desperately, trying not to be flung around the bridge like a rag doll.

-----

Her plan had worked perfectly. By using the Southampton as bait in luring Calais' ships out at full speed, she managed to trap his fleet with one of the oldest manoeuvres in the book. Using the Minovsky particles to mask their presence, Rika hid the Shanghai and York just beyond the debris field. She predicted that Calais would think too much and did what would have seemed obvious. When Calais' ships exited the field, it only took five seconds for the York and Shanghai to acquire a visual target and took out their engines.

This was the first military strategy that Admiral Bell taught Rika. It was simple and very effective against enemies that want to capture ships.

"Hana, open a laser channel to the Okalahoma." Rika said picking up the chair receiver again, "Captain Calais, do you need assistance?"

"We're fine, Captain Matsumoto." Calais' voice said back. The line was filled with interference.

"Are you sure? We can provide you with help if you need it."

"No, but thank you for offering. You guys just get going to wherever you were going. We won't be following you in this condition. I don't know why Admiral Pasture wanted you dead, but something just doesn't seem right. Go and do whatever you need to do and hopefully we'll meet each other again. Good luck." The laser channel crackled and went dead.

Rika slumped into her chair in exhausted and surprise. If Captain Calais, one of the loyalist EUF officers, were willing to admit there was some sort of conspiracy in the EUF leadership it would have meant that Admiral Pasture was trying to eliminate them for something.

_At least this is over._ She thought, trying to stay awake.

-----

"So what now, Mr Reinable?" Sieg Garland wondered out loud. He was standing with Tyan Long Wang and Wiz Ero after being relieved of combat duty on the bridge. There was not really much for him to do now apart from staring at the vast expanse of Lohar Shoal Zone. The large pieces of rock and slabs of metal, unlike the debris field that they had exited an hour ago, made it impossible for ships or mobile suits to enter without being smashed to little pieces.

Having sat through the entire battle in the cockpit of the Moebius Zero, Garland felt restless. Remaining on standby during combat often made pilots very irritable afterwards. With no place for the stored up adrenalin from the anxiety, it was common for fights to break out after missions being scrubbed. Garland cross his arms and leaned against one of the control consoles.

Reinable took out another diskette from his shirt pocket and inserted it into console next to the ship's wheel. He turned to Hana, "Please use laser transmission with the data on this disk to the Southampton and the Shanghai, Ensign. Also tell them to switch to autopilot when they received the data."

Hana glanced over to Rika for approval. A nod told her to continue.

Switching over to the ship's autopilot, Reinable gave a sigh of relief only to be met a concerned look on Rika's face.

"No need to worry, Captain," Reinable rubbed his aching shoulders, "The debris in the shoal zone are mostly stationary. Where we are now is the only area of the shoal zone that moves. There are small motors attached to the larger debris. They are linked to our central computer that moves them randomly but also making sure that there is always a path to the centre of the Shoal Zone."

"So are we…" Rika's fears were still not assuaged.

"Like I said, don't worry Captain. At any given time, there is always an passage that is one kilometre in diameter to allow ships to enter. The data in that disk calculates where that path is and how the path will change. It's perfectly safe so just enjoy the ride." He smiled, rubbing off a thin film of sweat off his brow, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to head to the showers. I'm soaking in sweat and you won't want to be near me when I sweat like this."

Reinable pushed off the floor and floated off the bridge. As he swung past Garland, their shoulders briefly touched. A sudden chill ran down Garland's spine.

Since he was a child, Garland always had an ability to sense other people's 'auras'. He guessed that it had something to do with his Newtype powers. He had once read something similar in Zeon Zum Deikun's famous book.

'_The human aura is created with one's mind._' The text in the book said, '_this aura is a thin veil that encompasses the entire body, a psychic barrier if you will. Ever since the start of recorded history, writers and historians have often talked of the human aura. Some have called it the 'Light of the Human Soul' while others have named it 'The Mist of the Devil'. Regardless of the name, this aura has never been fully utilised by humans. Medical records have claimed that humans have been born with extrasensory abilities such as the ability to feel danger, strong empathic abilities, predicting the weather etc. In the past, people have named these traits as anomalies. It is in my opinion that these "anomalies" are the result of evolution_.'

'_Evolution is caused by changes in the environment that an organism lives in. If a trait becomes favourable and allows the species to survive longer, then that trait will be passed onto the next generation. However, in the case of humans, these newly evolved extrasensory abilities were never passed on because our reliance on technology has eliminated the need for us to change with our environment. With the exploration of space and the creation of the colonies, humans discovered the only thing that can be changed in their environment: Gravity._'

'_When humans moved out into space and left the gravity of the Earth, our auras were freed from it's influence. Without gravity it became unchained from us. The first generation colonists were the first to notice this change. They felt free and alive. Without gravity holding them down, this newfound freedom was invigorating._'

'_When our calendars changed from AD to CY, the second generation of colonists were already born. These colonists would live their whole lives out in the frontiers of space, without ever being influenced by the gravity of our mother planet. It is with this generation, the Newtype phenomena began. A tiny proportion of the colonists began to evolve. Darwin once explained that evolution took thousand of years but he had never dreamed that with the lack of the Earth's gravity, mankind would change so fast. These colonists began to exhibit telepathic abilities. They were able to sense things that normal people could not. But the new abilities were limited and ignored._'

'_But when the third generation of colonists were born, these abilities became more apparent and warranted investigation. But the scientists that worked on the new type of humans found nothing that differed them from those who did not have these abilities. Because nothing physical can be found, philosophers have like myself have theorised about the non-physical things. I for one believe that it is the human aura. Without gravity, the aura can extend further and further from the human body. The stronger a person's aura is, the larger area their aura can cover, interacting with another person's aura or even with nature itself. This ability could mean that Newtypes have a greater understanding about their environment and could even lead to possible communication between Newtypes._'

Garland had always thought most of Zeon Zum Deikun's book was ridiculous, but that section on human auras left a distinctive impression upon him. It wasn't until he joined the EUF and piloted a mobile suit did he realise that his senses tell him much more than just people's moods. Potential danger, other pilot's feelings, areas that were safe and those that were not, he felt them all during combat. It was with these abilities that got him into the 1st Tactical Mobile Armour Squadron. Until he met Dena Nadist during the Battle of Acteria he did not realise that he could communicate telepathically.

But what he felt when his shoulder touched Reinable's shoulder wasn't some kind of telepathic connection but some kind of emotion. The coldness was so strong it felt like walking in the Antarctic. Garland gasped in surprise. Thankfully, everyone's attention was on the view screen. He glanced around and was thankful that no one noticed him.

The trip through the Lohar Shoal Zone was uneventful apart from some small fragments of metal and rock bumping into the main bridge's main viewer. The wreckage from ships and colonies thickened as the ship travels deeper into the shoal zone's centre. Suddenly, the debris cleared and collective 'wow' rang throughout the bridge.

Spinning magnificently before them were two intact colonies, sparkling in the rays of light that managed to penetrate the dense Shoal Zone.

"Ah, I see we're through." Everyone spun around to see Reinable walk through the doorway. His hair looked damp and a faint smell of cologne wafted from his EUF uniform. Apparently 15 minutes went by. The bridge crew and the pilots were so focused on the view screen, they had completely lost track of time, "Captain Matsumoto, welcome to what's left of Side 5."

"You mean…" Rika stammered.

"The only surviving colonies of the One Week War." Reinable smiled.

Swallowing back the tears, Rika sat up straight on her chair, "Lieutenant Reinable, you have the helm. Take the York, Southampton and Shanghai into dock."

"Aye, sir."

-----

The council chamber of the AEUG leaders was a large circular room. The marble floor and the white walls gave it the sterile feel of a hospital. A metallic table, raised from the floor, ran the circumference of the room, leaving only a gap for anyone wishing to reach a single table in the centre of the room.

The captains of the Londo Bell ships, the ranking pilots and Garland were sat at a small table in the centre of the room. The AEUG council members were sat around the outer table surrounding them, this made most of the Londo Bell officers uneasy as it reminded them of the trial on Grenada.

"Captain Matsumoto, I'd like to extend our deepest sympathies to the loss of Admiral Londo Bell and the other members of your fleet." A man in a black AEUG uniform said, "Admiral Bell mentioned you a lot, Captain. He had nothing but praise for you. He had one day hoped to tell you about his connections to the AEUG, being the commander of our modest fleet and all." The man sighed, "It's just a shame that he is gone. But I must thank you for bringing several of our agents back from Grenada, especially Lieutenant Reinable."

"Lieutenant Reinable was the one who saved us. I should be the one thanking him for bring us here. You are giving our injured crews medical treatment and repairing our ships. So on behalf of the entire Londo Bell Fleet, I thank you." Rika stood up and bowed. She spoke with her usual confident voice but Garland, who sat net to her, sensed that she was tired and her mind was preoccupied with something else.

The man in the black uniform beamed broadly, "You're exactly like Londo described. Well, now remains the question of what you're going to do next. I believe Lieutenant Reinable have shown you Londo's message?"

Rika nodded.

"Well?" The man leaned forward.

Rika paused. She was indeed tired and was having trouble concentrating. But there was one burning thought at the back of her mind, keeping her alert.

"Sir, my crew and I are tired. I think it would be best that we make our decision when we have rested and I have had a chance to discuss it with them."

The man leaned back with a look of disappointment on his face.

"That's fine, Captain." Another man, wearing a deep red AEUG uniform said, "We'll reconvene after you have made your decision."

"Axel…" The man in black moaned.

"Oh be quiet, Rodriguez. They're not going anywhere. Give them as much time as they need." The rest of the council nodded in approval.

"Thank you." Rika said, relieved that the meeting was over.

"OK, meeting adjourned. If you and your men would follow Lieutenant Reinable, Captain, he will show you and your crew to the quarters we provided."

The Londo Bell officers waited until the AEUG council members to leave before being led out by the waiting Siegfried Reinable. Rika walked up to Reinable, who was dressed in the same black uniform as the council member.

"Lieutenant Reinable, I-" She hesitated, something very out of character for her.

"I know, Captain." Reinable said before she could complete her sentence.

"Thank you."

-----

Garland missed the wind most during his time serving on battleships. The rush of air that would blow through your hair and the coolness on your skin couldn't be replicated on board ships. Driving along the colony floor in an open roof ele-car was something he relished. But the feeling of satisfaction was diminished somewhat with the fact that it was Reinable doing the driving and he was actually accompanying Captain Matsumoto somewhere

"I get the distinct impression that you don't trust me." Reinable eyed Garland through the rear-view mirror, "I'm perfectly able to take the Captain Matsumoto anywhere on the colony and keep her safe at the same time, Captain Garland."

"You're right, I don't trust you." Garland grumbled loudly, "Never trusted an agent. Who knows what's going on in that devious mind of yours."

"You don't want to know, sir"

Garland grunted deeply in reply. He still remembered the icy feeling he got from Reinable onboard the York. Trying not to think about that, he turned his attention to Rika who has been silent throughout the entire trip. _Wonder what's going on in her mind?_

Garland had no idea of where they were going or what they were going to do when they get there. He just didn't like the idea of Rika going out into an unfamiliar colony alone. Of course the other officers would have offered to take her too but he was the only one still awake when he saw Rika and Reinable walk past him when he decided to do a little exploring around the building that their quarters were situated in. He thought that Rika might have protested when he asked to go with them but she didn't say a word.

The ele-car entered a residential area of the colony. The large trees and green grass planted along the road gave him the feeling being on Earth. As the trees rushed by them, Garland noticed that the houses seemed to be getting larger the further they travel along the road. After a few minutes, the car stopped at a lone two-story house. The red bricks and roof glowed warmly in the sunlight that was reflected into the colony by its mirrors.

"Here you are, Captain Matsumoto." Reinable stepped out of the car and opened the door for her, "Welcome home."

Garland felt a wave of happiness from Rika. Tears that she had been fighting back for so long began to flow down her face as she walked towards the house.

"What's going on?" Garland got out of the ele-car and leaned against it.

"You don't know?" Reinable gave him a surprised look.

Garland shook his head. "Well, how old do you think Captain Matsumoto is?" Reinable said, cross his arms.

"Twenty five?" He whispered, making sure Rika wouldn't hear him.

"Twenty four, but you were close." Reinable's smile was replaced with a serious look, "It's been ten years since the Battle for Lohar. From what I heard from Admiral Bell, she was one of the lucky ones to escape from Side 5 before it was nearly wiped out. Her parents on the other hand, weren't as lucky. Their transport got caught up in the battle."

"So this is her childhood home?" Garland finally realised why he saw her eyes shine when she saw the colony on the York.

Reinable nodded, "For fourteen years. Once Admiral Bell knew this used to be Rika's home and ordered it to be kept in pristine condition." He looked up into the sky, his eyes followed an ele-car on the colony wall beyond the clouds, "These two colonies seemed to have God watching out for them. They were the only ones to have survived that battle. No one knows why the debris from the destroyed colonies became attracted to these colonies and formed a barrier, protecting them from the battle."

"So are both colony used to house the people here?" Garland watched Rika wonder around the house, walking across the newly cut lawn.

Reinable ran his hands through his hair, "No. Only one is used. The other colony has been sealed and has been designated a no-go zone."

"Is that so?"

"But the reason is classified." Reinable cut in before Garland could ask something else.

Rika returned to the ele-car. There were silver trails down her cheek from the tears.

"Don't you want to go inside? It's yours. I have the keys right here." Reinable asked, surprised that she was back so soon. Rika wiped the tears from her eyes with a handkerchief.

"No." She took a deep breath, "I still have my duties to perform. I'll come back when I'm on shore leave.

"Very well, Captain." Reinable shrugged and jumped into the driver's seat. Rika and Garland sat in the back. The car sped back towards the military section of the colony.

"Captain Garland," Rika's voice sounded hoarse.

"Call me Sieg."

"Alright, Sieg. I just want to thank you. Though you had nothing to do with the Londo Bell Fleet, you stood by us. Even when we escaped, you could have left us and went home, yet you came with us. I don't know why you did it, but I'm glad you're here." She put her hand on his.

Garland sat there, completely rigid. Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. His eyes shifted to the right and saw Rika fast asleep; her head leaned against the headrest. He wanted to move his hands but he was afraid that it would wake Rika. Then he saw Reinable looking at them in the rear-view mirror. Garland's eyes widened, as if telling Reinable that if he told anyone what he saw here, he would be murdered in the most horrific way and no one would ever find his body.

Reinable just grinned in reply and turned his attention back to the road.

-----

Vionne Temps and Alden Campbell shuffled along the passageways of the giant Oz space fortress Barge. After being suspended from missions for a week, both of them were less than eager to return to duty. The encounter with the winged fighter, which later turned out to be a MS, had left them shaken. As if being reprimanded by their squadron CO wasn't enough, they had lost their bonus from being promoted. Luckily, they kept their promotion and were still Second Lieutenants.

Walking through their CO's door, the two of them saluted. Their CO was of Indian decent. He was bald and the light was reflecting off his head. The pilots had always joked about how his head would give him away during battle but Vionne and Alden were too nervous to find the shimmering dome humorous.

The CO looked up at the two pilots and stopped writing his report on his computer.

"Do the both of you feel that you are ready for another mission?"

Vionne and Alden gave him a small nod.

"I said are the two of you ready for another mission!" He said again except this time shouting at the top of his voice.

"YES, SIR!" Was the reply.

"Good." The CO's voice went back to normal, "I want you two to escort the transport carrying First Lieutenants de la Norrio and de la Bretonne to Earth. Their prototype Geminass mobile suits are to be tested in gravity conditions. It's a simple escort mission, so don't screw it up." He threw a file at Vionne and returned to typing his report.

Guessing that they were dismissed, Vionne and Alden saluted and hurried out of the CO's room.


	13. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Orb's Children**

Marcus looked down from his open cockpit hatch and wondered what all the noise was about. The entire maintenance crew of the hangar dropped what they were doing and walked over to admire the beaten up Strike Gundam. Some of them shaking their head while others whistled in admiration. A large and well-built mech-man in an orange jumpsuit moved a mechanical platform to the height of the Strike Gundam's cockpit and secured it against the fuselage. Once the platform had stopped moving, he leapt over the controls and sprinted all the way to Marcus' open cockpit hatch.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO IT!" He hollered, his eyes assessing each scratch and dent on the Strike's armour.

"Err…" Marcus climbed out of the cockpit, unsure as to what he should say.

"Don't you 'err' me," The mechanic was becoming hostile, "Tell me why the hell is my precious Strike is in this state?"

Marcus went through a long-winded retelling of the battle on Heliopolis, the battle near the Jenius 7 remains and the fall through the atmosphere. When he had climbed off the platform and down to ground level, the other mech-men gathered quickly surrounded him, listening intently to what he had to say. With each description of the Strike being hit or scraped the entire crowd would recoil in horror.

"Alright." The man who seemed like the head mechanic said shaking his head, "I guess that this kind of damage couldn't be helped during times of war. Just tell me that the other four GATs are OK."

Marcus hadn't the heart to tell him that the Duel, Blitz, Aegis and Buster had been taken by ZAFT. He remained silent but the head mechanic saw right through him.

"So the rumours were true." The group of mechanics began murmuring amongst themselves. The machines that they put their souls into were stolen.

"Well at least tell me you brought back the Striker Packs."

"Striker Packs?" Marcus said, confused. He knew that the Aile configuration for the Strike Gundam was a Striker Pack but _Packs_?

The head mechanic grabbed Marcus by the collar. He was almost a foot taller than Marcus so his strong arms lifted Marcus off the ground.

"What kind of pilot are you?" He shouted angrily, "How the hell could you not have known about the other Striker Packs?"

"I-I-I-" Marcus was now surrounded by irritated mechanics; all of them were bigger than him. Even his Co-ordinator strength and reflexes wouldn't help him now.

"What are you people doing now?" A voice called behind the crowd of mech-men. Marcus peered over the head mechanic's shoulder and saw a man in a deep red suit march across from the other side of the maintenance bay. He looked a little over 20 and was of East Asian decent; his jet-black hair was gelled down making his fringe looked like the front of a cap. The head mechanic dropped Marcus and gave him a nasty look before turning to the man in the suit.

"Nothing, Mr Saga." The head mechanic said gloweringly.

"That better be the case, Holland-san, because this young man is to be treated like a VIP on Nord Industries' property _and_ on Orb soil. Understood? Now get back to work. I expect the Strike to be functional again in 24 hours." Mr Saga raised an eyebrow.

The group gave a collective yes and went back to their work.

"I have to apologise for their behaviour. They tend to be somewhat passionate about their mobile suits. I'm Hayate Saga by the way. One of the many vice presidents of Nord Industries." He extended a hand to Marcus.

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Marcus Kolin. 154th Titan Mechanised Team. Pleased to meet you Mr Saga." Marcus said shaking his hand.

"Please, call me Hayate or Hayate-kun. I don't like it when people call me Mr Saga. It separates me apart from my father, Marcus-kun." Hayate led Marcus down the platform and made their way through the busy maintenance bay. Some of the engineers were already looking at the plans of the Strike Gundam and gathering tools for repairs.

"Very efficient." Marcus thought out loud, unbuttoning his pilot's suit.

"The best of the best." Hayate commented with a hint of pride in his voice. Marcus glanced at the Hayate as they made their way through the building. He had heard the name Saga somewhere before but he couldn't place his finger on it.

"If you don't mind me asking, Mr-I mean Hayate, but is your father involved in Orb politics?" He asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Oh?" Hayate looked at Marcus, amazed that a Titan pilot would bother to keep up with the political climate of Orb, "Yes. My father, Akira Hayate, is the Vice President of Orb."

_A family of vice presidents? Guess a whole family can hit a glass ceiling_.

"I should thank you for bringing Kriss back in one piece." He continued, "It's not everyday that your fiancée goes out into space and gets herself blown up, right?"

_She's his fiancée!_ Marcus tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his face. Hayate rushed forwards and picked him up off the floor. Marcus' face flushed with embarrassment. For a moment his face was the same colour as his hair. In the confusion, Marcus didn't see the evil grin on Hayate's face.

"You alright?" He asked while dusting off Marcus' uniform.

Marcus had no idea that Kriss was engaged. Since he met her on Heliopolis, she had never showed any signs that she already had a man in her life. If Kriss made a move on him and told Hayate, he would probably hunt Marcus down and rip him from limb to limb. Being a Vice-President of one of the largest intercontinental and intercolonial companies, Hayate could probably kill Marcus and no one would ever his body.

The two of them stepped out of the maintenance hangar and into the Nord Industries' main complex. From Marcus' perspective, the complex looked like something out of a science fiction novel. The buildings were sleekly designed and painted white. Trees, grass and bushels of flowers littered the grounds, making it seem like futuristic Eden. The warm orange glow of the setting sun made the place seem almost magical.

"We get this kind of reaction a lot." Hayate said, pushing shut Marcus' hanging jaw. Marcus' face glowed red again.

Walking around serene complex made Marcus miss the way that his mother always kept their garden. Not a single weed could be seen or a stray flower growing where it shouldn't be. He always loved the way that she would smile at him sitting on the swing in the backyard. Her smile had always comforted him whenever he needed it. He would never be able to see that smile again, something that was so cruelly taken from him by ZAFT.

Their short walk led them to a building with a giant protruding dome on the roof. The plaque on the wall said 'Titan Embassy'.

"The Orb military have contacted a nearby Titan naval vessel. The patrol has relayed our message to Titan Central Command. Your superiors are waiting for you to call them." Hayate stopped outside the embassy doors, "You can make your call from here. The receptionist will tell you what to do. Once you're done, just speak to her again and she'll tell you where you'll be spending the night. I really have to go. It's been a pleasure meeting you."

Marcus watched Saga walk off. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen between him and Kriss.

The room that the receptionist led him to was a small conference room with a large view screen built into the wall. Tapping on the panel beside the screen like the she told him, it sprang into life showing an old man.

The old man wore a black Titan uniform with several medals pinned to the breast pocket. The insignias on his shoulders bore the rank of a Major General while the sparkling Titan Military symbol shone on his red cap.

"Marcus, it's good to see you're OK." He said cheerfully. Marcus saluted and stood to attention immediately. The General nodded and motioned for him to take a seat.

"Likewise, General Thomson."

Major General Thomson took off his cap and wiped off the perspiration off his forehead. He was one of the many greying Generals in the Titan's military, but compared to the others, he held more influence than most during decision-making. It was his brilliant strategies that held off the initial ZAFT assault on the Caribbean islands. Furthermore, he held off a ZAFT invasion of Greenland with half the number of troops than ZAFT had. Marcus admired the old man for his courage and owed him almost everything. If he had never met the Major General during his graduation piloting exams, a Brigadier General then, Marcus would probably never been allowed on the combat roster.

"You look like you could do with some rest." The General pointed out, noticing the bags under Marcus' eyes

Marcus opened his eyes wide and tried to shake off the drowsiness, "Sorry, sir. It's just been a hectic few days. I haven't had much sleep."

General Thomson smiled. Marcus often wondered why he received such kindness from someone that barely knew him over a year ago but those questions disappeared whenever he and the General spoke.

"I understand. At least you can have time to have some R&R now that you're in Orb."

"Excuse me, sir?"

_R&R in Orb?_ Marcus thought, trying to figure out what the General meant.

"We're about to conduct a major operation in a few days, Marcus, and the logistics can't spare a MS transport just yet. So I'm dispatching the transport with Tano Hagane and Orphen Enohpiris to Orb. They're currently having a medical check up and when they are done they will com-"

General Thomson began coughing uncontrollably. Marcus shot up from his seat wanting to help him, but then realising that there was really nothing he could do. This wasn't the first time that Marcus had seen the Major General like this.

When they first met. Thomson was interviewing Marcus for combat duty selections. Halfway through the General began coughing. When Marcus helped him swallow down some of his medicine, the General looked directly into Marcus' eyes.

"Your have very kind eyes; lonely, but kind. Are you sure you want to go on combat duty?" He saw Marcus nod, "Very well." From there, the General had been in continuous contact with Marcus through hand written letters and short video calls.

He watched the General take a swig of his medicine from a small bottle and his coughing slowly subsided.

"I'm sorry, Marcus. The doctor said that the medicine would help in the short term, but the long-term cure is still in development. Anyway, the transport will reach in Orb in two days. If all goes according to plan, it should arrive at 0730 on the 19th." He reached for a piece of paper on his table, "I have new orders for you."

"When you have been retrieved by the transport, you are to be temporarily stationed on the TNS Ikari of the 2nd Naval Fleet. From there you will be briefed on the aforementioned operation. After you have successfully completed your mission you, Tano Hagane and Orphen Enohpiris are to be assigned to the 13th Mobilised Squad."

"You mean the Special Ops team, sir?" Marcus choked out in surprise.

"Yes, that's the one." Thomson smiled again at Marcus' expression, "You have two days to get some R and R. Just get the Strike Gundam there with all the necessary equipment. That will be all, Lieutenant Kolin. Have a good time in Orb."

Marcus stood up and saluted. General saluted back and the screen went blank.

-----

Major General Thomson's office seemed like it came from the early 20th century. Apart from the computer on his desk and a large video screen built into the wall opposite to where he was sitting, everything else looked like antiques. The oak tables and chairs; several mahogany cabinets filled with the forgotten classics such as Shakespeare and Chaucer; and even small marble statue of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, weaving, crafts, and war, sitting on his desk. Everyone who stepped into his office would think that they had gone back in time.

When Marcus' face disappeared from his view screen, Thomson let out a sigh of relief but his troubles weren't over yet; there was another man in the room. The man was leaning against the corner of the office. The chandelier overhead chandelier shone off his Titan issue black overalls and red cap. Even though the man only had the rank of Colonel, being in the Titan's Military Research and Intelligence Department made him more powerful than a Lieutenant General.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, General?" The man looked up. He had a full beard and piercing grey eyes.

Thomson stood up and walked over to his window, "He would be more beneficial to us once he has rested, Kings."

"I would feel so much better if 002A and B are there with him." Vladimir Kings adjusted his cap and put on a pair of white gloves, "Something could go wrong in Orb."

"I assure you, nothing will go wrong." Thomson said. He looked out into the courtyard below. The street lamps below had just switched on and illuminated the Titan soldiers patrolling the grounds. In the distance was the Cape Canaveral Mass Driver. There was an eerie silence as the Mass Driver was not in operation on that day due to essential maintenance.

"I hope you know what you are doing, General Thomson. If anything happens to 001, it will be your responsibility." Kings walked over to the office door and turned the handle, "And I hope you are willing to accept the consequences. I have to check up on 002A and 002B."

The door clicked shut before Thomson could say anything.

_Damn it Vladimir, they are human beings too!_

-----

Tano and Orphen both convulsed violently on their beds. Their arms and legs were tied to the bed so that the doctors could get to them without getting hurt.

"How long has it been since the subjects' last treatment?" Kings stood in front of a one-way mirror looking into the room where the two men were struggling in pain. Several doctors in white cloaks rushed around, trying to find the right chemicals to inject into them. A pair of orderlies held Tano still while one of the doctors injected a clear liquid into his arm and Tano's fit stopped almost immediately. They did the same to Orphen.

"I said how long ago was the subjects' last treatment?" Kings asked again at the lead doctor who seemed preoccupied with what was going on in the room.

"002A and B's last treatment was just before the Jenius 7 incident." The doctor said, flipping through their charts, "This would explain their current states. We were lucky that they managed to return to Earth before these symptoms arose."

Kings lit a cigarette, ignoring the protests from the doctor. He eyed the two young men laid out on the beds with half a dozen doctors inserting needles and tubes into various parts of their bodies. Tano and Orphen were two bright young cadets at the Titan Military Academy. Since both were orphans, they were perfect for this task. Their enhancement meant that not only were their physical capabilities augmented but their mental capacity too. However, their new roles required that their memories and any compassionate emotions were suppressed with new memories implanted into them.

_I wonder what they have done if they had known that their job involved subject 001_? Kings thought.

For just a brief moment, he felt sorry for them. If they had known about their new assignment, they would have never agreed to it. He quickly regained control over his emotions and reminded himself that this was a necessary sacrifice in order to control the potentially unstable element of subject 001. Plus, they were prototypes of the future 003 subjects, who should be the perfect soldiers.

A doctor wearing a pair of thick rimmed glasses walked out of the room and handed a graphical chart to the doctor talking to Kings.

"Looks like these memory regressions are becoming more serious. If they go through more of these regressions, their higher brain functions will be permanently damaged." The doctor warned Kings.

Kings glanced at the doctor and said, "I heard that you have a new procedure that would help in this situation, correct?"

The doctor paused as he realised what Kings was planning, "Yes, but the procedure is untested and if it's unsuccessful it might kill 002A and 002B."

"They are test subjects, doctor." Kings adjusted his cap, "That is what they are designed for. I know the procedure will only take an hour and they should recover in a day, so I suggest that you get started. As far as I'm concerned, the 002 subjects are already failures."

He turned and left the room, leaving the doctor stunned and shocked.

Standing outside in the dark corridor, Kings lit a cigarette. He inhaled and exhaled loudly, blowing the smoke into the air. Nothing was better than a cigarette after an exhausting day for him as they have sustained him throughout his life. He had forgotten when he started the habit but he remembered his mother warning him of the dangers of smoking when he was young, so he wisely ignored her. If Kings had listened to his mother, he would probably be sitting at a desk pen-pushing for some no-name company. Eventually he had his family killed to keep them from going to the presses about his work. Rather than feeling guilty, he felt free.

"You know," Kings blew out another ring of smoke, "If you keep coming here unannounced, I could have you arrested and shot."

The woman wearing a mask that covered the top half of her face smiled, "But you wouldn't."

Kings dropped the cigarette on the floor and stamped on it. He stared at the masked woman, looking at her blue eyes through the plasti-glass visor.

"What do you want, Dena Nadist?"

"ZAFT won't give you a very easy time in Australia, Vladimir." Dena took a cigarette out of King's breast pocket and popped it into her mouth. Kings lit it for her.

"Tell me something I don't know. Why are you here?"

Dena leaned back against the wall. Her Titan uniform was a size too small for her but she liked the tight feeling it gave her. Plus it showed off her body, which is always an added bonus.

"To check on the boys. But that's not why I came to see you." Dena inhaled the smoke into her lungs and blew it out a second later, "What have your sources got on Neo Zeon?"

"Just they are heading back into the Earth-Moon System."

"What about Project Angel?"

Kings looked up at her in surprise but he just smiled, "Where do you get your information? Maybe if you introduce me to them…"

Dena laughed condescendingly. She held out the cigarette in front of his face before crushing it in her hand, that habit of hers made Kings extremely uncomfortable but it meant that she had something important to tell him.

"Project Angel is 97 complete and ready for testing. If you don't start Operation Viola with Oz's Operation Darling as quickly as possible, you may never have the chance to reach that rank of General you always wanted."

"You mean-" He managed to mutter out in complete surprise. He expected Project Angel to be nearing completion but he had no idea that it was ready for testing. Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. If what Dena told him was true then…

"I really must be going." Dena dusted her hands of the ash and tobacco, "And Vladimir, I know you are thinking about tracking me. Take my advice, it'll be back for your long and short-term health."

When Dena had walked out of sight, Kings slammed his fist into the wall all the while cursing her name.

-----

No person can leave a telephone ringing, no matter how busy they are. This was an unwritten edict passed down through the generations but Marcus wanted to ignore it. The constant high-pitched noise finally got him out of bed and pick up the receiver on the bedside drawer.

"Hey, Marcus!" It was Kriss' voice, "You awake?"

_I am now_. "Yeah, what do you want?"

"_What do you want_!" Kriss' voice became agitated, "After I convinced Hayate to give you with a nice room, this is the thanks I get?"

"Sorry. I'm usually irritable when I haven't had enough sleep." He said rubbing his eyes.

"Not enough sleep?" Kriss laughed sarcastically, "I've been trying to call you yesterday and you wouldn't answer. The building manager said was that you were asleep."

"The hell?" Marcus sprang out of bed and looked at the electronic calendar on the wall, dropping the receiver on the floor. Saturday 8:57am 18th April CY 089. He had indeed slept through all of Friday.

"I'm sorry." He ruffled his red hair, getting out the dents from the night before, "It's been a while since I've slept in a comfortable bed in full gravity. Anyway, where are you?"

"Look out of your window."

Marcus walked over to his room's window and drew the curtains. A brilliant flash of sunlight met his eyes and flooded the room. When his pupils adjusted he looked out into the distance, surveying the city below the steep hill where the Titan Embassy was located. Looking down, there was a figure in red waving at him. Kriss was wearing a flowing red dress with a wide rimmed bonnet that hid her face. She was also carrying what seemed to Marcus like a large white bag.

"I've got something for you," Kriss talked into her cell-phone, "Let me in when I knock, OK?"

-----

Ryan Steigen ignored the itching feeling around his neck from the new ZAFT uniform. He marched down the damaged corridors of the newly taken Cairo Base towards his new quarters. After being reprimanded by two Colonels, he felt ill tempered. What he wanted most was to just lie down on a comfortable bed and get some sleep. At least one good thing came out of this, he got 3 days R&R.

The door to his new room slid open. As he walked in, a hand swung from within his room and slapped him hard. He stumbled backwards, reeling from the stinging sensation. A flash of green and Ryan immediately knew who had hit him. Rubbing his cheek, Ryan steadied himself for another assault.

Whenever a ZAFT soldier mentioned the name Vivian Oria, they immediately think of someone with an extremely bad temper. Vivian's name had been etched into the annals of the ZAFT Academy' history when she managed to break the martial art's instructor during their first session. 'He looked at me the wrong way' was what she would say to anyone who asked her why she did it. Ryan had no idea how they got together but all he wanted to do now was live to see another day.

Without warning, Vivian grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into the room. Before Ryan could do anything else, she pressed her lips against him. Slamming the door control from the inside of the room with her palm, the door closed with a loud hiss.

-----

"Tell me again why you thought this colour scheme suits me?" Marcus said while driving Kriss towards Orb city centre. The highway leading to the city from Nord was mostly empty, with several cars and lorries driving into the mountain top complex rather than away from it.

"Come on, what's wrong with pink and white?" Kriss smirked, "You military types are too rigid. I think you really should be more comfortable with your sexuality."

Marcus rolled his eyes and focused on the road again, however his mind was distracted by other thoughts. Whether Ryan managed to get safely back to his unit and the prospect of leaving tomorrow. But the Kriss' fiancée, Hayate, bothered him the most. He had dreamt of him coming into his room and hacking him to bits with a large knife and the Orb police saying that it was a suicide attempt.

"So when are you leaving?"

"0730 hours tomorrow." Marcus said, remembering that he needs to keep his eyes on the road not daydreaming. It was Saturday so the roads seemed rather empty apart from several lorries travelling the other way.

"Hey, let's take the next exit off. The city centre's closer this way." Kriss pointed towards the next slip road.

-----

The sun dipped further and further into western horizon. The sky, which was once a magnificent fusion of blue and white, had been replaced by a luminescent red and orange. The daytime shops of Orb were preparing to close up while the trendy restaurants and clubs next to the seaside opened their doors for a night parties and drinking.

Marcus was surprised how life could be so normal here while there was a war being fought not too far from this little country. However, as he and Kriss sat at a small table next to the beach, he found himself being immersed by the beautiful ocean scene. The sound of waves lapping on the golden sand, laughter from children and their families still playing by the surf and the stunning view of the setting sun with Kriss sitting opposite even made him forget that there was even antagonism between Co-ordinators and natural born humans or that there was even a war on.

A cool breeze made the bags of clothes and small stuffed toys that Kriss made Marcus buy for her ruffle loudly. He wiped a thin layer of sweat from his forehead and took a quick swig from the cool glass of sparkling water in front of him. One of his principles in life is to never drink anything apart from water, especially not after the incident at the academy. He looked up at Kriss' ice cream bowl and saw that it was full of spoon marks yet none of it had disappeared.

"Are you trying to torture your ice cream into submission or something?" He said, trying to lighten the mood.

Kriss smiled weakly, swallowed a spoon full and went back to poking the ice cream.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Marcus looked directly into her eyes.

Kriss looked up into Marcus' eyes. Even with his tough military exterior, she had always thought he had kind eyes, just like those of her father. Those brown orbs made her feel as if she had known Marcus for a long time and she would have no trouble sharing her secrets and feelings with him.

"I don't want you to leave, Marcus."

Marcus almost spat out his drink in surprise.

"What?" He wiped off the water from his mouth with a napkin.

Kriss blushed, "I don't want you to go off fighting anymore. You're the first person that I've met who's not acting."

"Acting?"

"It's just that…you treat me like I'm a normal person, not a head of state. If I don't hid my face, the people of Orb will treat me like royalty and don't show their true selves." Kriss sighed.

"Guess that explains the hat." Marcus pointed at her overly large hat. She refused to remove it and shied away from large crowds wherever she went. A girl like that must be lonely, unable to go anywhere without people recognising her, unable to lead a normal life.

"But when I'm with you I feel comfortable and you don't act as if I'm anyone special." Kriss blushed even more, "I want you to be by my side. If you go off to fight again, who knows when I can see you again? I know I'm being selfish to ask you to give up your life as a Titan soldier but I don't want you to get killed."

Marcus realised where Kriss was going with this. No matter how much he wanted to stay with her, it was impossible for him to do so.

"Look, Kriss," Marcus leaned forwards, "I know about you and Hayate Saga."

Kriss slumped back in her chair, "When did you find out?"

"He told me when we met in Nord Industries."

_That bastard, always trying to control me._ Kriss thought while imagining her hands around his throat. Even so, she wasn't about to let Marcus go off to fight again.

"It doesn't matter if I'm engaged to him. I don't care about that! And I know Hayate told you that we were engaged to keep you from seeing me. Please, stay. Now that I you're here, I don't want to lose you."

Marcus ran his hand through his red hair. It was a habit that manifests itself whenever he is in a tough situation.

"Look, I know that you have feelings for me but it is impossible for me to stay. Who am I, an outsider, to break up something was probably decided years ago?" He saw Kriss' eyes begin to water but he continued on regardless.

"It's not my place to break up your marriage in order to satisfy my needs and nor should you. You're the daughter of the President of Orb, what would the world say if you ran off with an unknown Titan soldier? I know that your feelings for me are important but you have a duty to your country, you can't run away from that responsibility. Besides, I have my duties to perform with the Titan military an-"

Before he could finish, Kriss grabbed his water and poured it over his face.

"You're the same as everyone else!" Kriss shouted angrily, tears streaming down her face, "Why can't you think of what I want rather than what the state wants! I thought you would be different, but I'm obviously wrong!"

Marcus wiped off the stinging sparkling water from his eyes only to see Kriss running towards her parked car. He watched in silence as she ignited the car's engine and zoomed off. The few people sitting at nearby tables were whispering quietly but he ignored them.

A waitress offered him some napkins to dry himself but he just placed several Orb dollars he got from the Titan Embassy down on the table and left, leaving the stuff he and Kriss bought under the table.

-----

Only half the sun could now be seen on the horizon. Marcus' form was washed with a bright orange glow as he walked slowly back towards the Titan Embassy. His mind was focused solely on Kriss. He regretted what he said to her but at the same time reminded himself that what he did was right. As he climbed up the steep road towards the Nord Industries complex, he couldn't help but to look at the beautiful sunset to his right. Large islands were scattered across the sea, each with a large population centre and many houses scattered along their edges. Marcus thought maybe he made the wrong decision. Living in Orb is an tempting offer, a life away from the military, to forget about his past and start anew.

_No._ Marcus shook his head. Images of his parents flooded into his mind. His father was lying in a pool of his own blood while his mother's neck was snapped and her face covered with semen. He can't leave the Titans, not until he made those people pay for what they did.

A red open-top sports car pulled up beside him. Inside was a man wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of sunglasses. When the man took of his sunglasses, Marcus recognised him from Heliopolis and the Orb transport in the Earth's atmosphere.

"Hey kid, you need a rid?" Terrance Rockfield said, opening the passenger side door.

-----

Their car zoomed up the highway, past the rows of palm trees leading to the Nord Industries complex. The air had begun to chill and the street lamps were slowly lighting up. Terrance had closed the car's roof and the sound classical music filled the interior.

"You did the right thing."

Marcus, who staring at his legs, looked up, "Hm?"

"You did the right thing back there." Terrance repeated, "By the way, I don't think we have officially been introduced. My name is Major Terrance E. Rockfield, Orb Marine Corp. My college you met in space was Major Kuroshin Watanabe, Orb Secret Service. We are the officers assigned to ensure Miss Sampson's safety."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance." Marcus replied politely, "About the things that me and Kriss bought…"

"Don't worry about them, Major Watanabe has taken care of it. But back to what I said, what you said to Kriss was the right thing." Terrance said while switching off the radio.

"You were spying on us?" But when he thought about it, Marcus wasn't really that surprised. Major Watanabe was in the Secret Service so tapping into their conversation wasn't all that difficult. In fact, he should have expected it.

"Not spying," Terrance reached into his shirt pocket trying to fish something out, "Just a matter of curiosity. Gum?" He offered.

Marcus shook his head. He watched as Terrance somehow used only one hand to unwrap a stick and popped it into his mouth.

"Let me explain a few things to you about Kriss and Hayate." He continued while chewing, "Orb's political system is one of the most stable on the planet, Lieutenant Kolin. You probably heard that our government had only two different Presidents, right? No? Well you know now. But in recent days, the relationship between the President and Vice President hadn't been all that smooth. You do know that the citizens of Orb don't vote in the President or the Vice President into office, right?"

From Marcus' bewildered look, Terrance decided it was better to explain Orb's democratic system while he was at it.

"When the people of Orb vote, they vote for a chancellor to represent their area. Then top 2 chancellors who gained the most votes from the public are put forward for the position of president and the chancellors would vote in the next president. The position of President and Vice President is often pre-determined because many chancellors often have allegiances to one of the candidates so when Orb citizens vote, they are indirectly voting in their President too. The winner of the vote becomes President and the runner-up becomes Vice President. Often the President and Vice President share different views on certain topics but that ensures that the President does not have the power to do as he pleases and forces him or her to consider alternative views and make the best decision for Orb."

Terrance saw Marcus nod, but the look on his face showed that he was still confused, "Our current President and Vice President, however, faces something that has never been faced by any of their predecessors. Whether to join in the war or to remain neutral."

The sky outside had turned from orange red to a deep purple. Only the street lamps on the highway, the stars and the moon illuminated the road.

"President Sampson wants Orb to remain neutral but Vice President Saga is leaning towards joining with the ZAFT forces against the Titans and Oz. with neither backing down on their position. So now we have a split down the middle of the Orb Forum. But at least they realised that there is a rift and it needs to be mended. So the marriage between their children will convince the Orb population that while they are disagreeing, they are still working towards a unified solution."

"So Kriss' marriage is just a political stunt?" Marcus now realised how broken up Kriss must be on the inside.

"Yep. Even though Hayate has feelings towards Kriss, I have never seen her reciprocate in any way. She only pretends to be close to him in public so that Orb politics can remain stable. She doesn't look it, she's stronger than you think."

Marcus was silent. He had always thought Kriss was just lonely and wanted him to stay with her. He had no idea that her life had already been decided for her, forced to marry a man she did not love. No wonder she pleaded for him to stay. He closed his eyes and thought about how beautiful she had looked in the sunset.

"We're here."

Marcus hadn't noticed that they were already at the main gates of the Titan Embassy. He must have dozed off on the car. Stepping outside, a cold breeze licked his arms.

Usually countries that are near the equator should be at a constant 25-35 degrees Celsius, but after Zeon dropped a colony onto the planet and wiped out Sydney, the Earth's climate was changed dramatically. Orb used to be the Hawaiian Islands but its seasons were reversed and the temperature was reduced so that after the colony-drop, it never reached above 27 degrees Celsius.

Before closing the door, Terrance leaned over to the passenger side and looked Marcus in the eye.

"Listen kid, from what Kuro tells me there is something big about to happen between ZAFT and the Titans. His sources say that your forces are amassing around Australia. Try not to get yourself killed, OK? Miss Sampson would be very upset otherwise. Oh, by the way, nice t-shirt."

Marcus saluted and slammed the door, trying hard not to let the huge grin on Terrance's face make him blush. As he walked into the reception area, the female receptionist looked up just before he stepped around the corner and called out his name.

"Sir, you are needed in Nord Industries, 5th Maintenance Bay."

-----

When Marcus strolled into the 5th Maintenance Bay, the usual sight of the Strike Gundam greeted him. But instead of the usual red backpack of the Aile Striker Pack, mounted on it's back and shoulders were black and white backpack. The head mechanic, who was standing below the Gundam, turned and saw the Titan pilot gaping at his newest masterpiece.

"Yo, kiddo!" He waved Marcus over, "Hey, you like the Lighting Striker Pack?"

"Err…yeah." Marcus disguised his complete incomprehension of the situation, "What's it do?"

A smirk appeared on the head mechanic's face, "What's it do you say? Well, ye of little knowledge, let me enlighten you."

Marcus felt sick at the mechanics' attitude towards him as he was led up the catwalk to the Strike's cockpit.

"The new Lightning Striker Pack has improved power-pack design as well as augmented battery storage which will mean the Phase-Shift active times will increase. Also there are more and enhanced coolant systems installed in order to use this baby…" They walked up to the open cockpit. The mechanic reached in, punched in a few commands on the keyboard and the monitor on the cockpit hatch lit up with the schematics of a large cannon.

"This, my friend, is the Type 70-31 Electromagnetic Cannon." He said with zeal, "Just think of it as a EMP bomb with a barrel. Destroys any and all computer systems that it is fired at. It is kept in two separate parts to allow portability and has a range of over 5 kilometres."

"So that's what the extra coolant systems are for." Marcus marvelled out loud, studying the new cannon, "Just out of curiosity, why have you installed this?"

The head mechanic looked dumbfounded, "I thought you knew?"

Marcus shook his head.

The mechanic rubbed his forehead, "We were told to just install it, run simulations and then take it apart for transport. I thought you would have some idea of what it's used for."

Marcus glanced at the mechanic and back at the screen. This must have something to do with the new Op that General Thomson mentioned. Shutting off the monitor, Marcus turned to the head mechanic.

"Please get the new pack read for transport. And thank you for the maintenance on the Strike Gundam, I really appreciate it. Plus I'd like to apologise for leaving the other two Striker Packs on Heliopolis." Marcus said, extending his hand.

The mechanic stared at the young man for a moment and then grasped Marcus' hand. His grip was intense and sent a wave of pain up Marcus' arm.

"Ah, it couldn't be helped," The mechanic grinned, "I should be thanking you for bringing the Strike back to us. At least we didn't lose all 5 GATs. Hey, no hard feelings about the day before, right?" Marcus gritted his teeth in agony wishing the man would let go, "Good lad!"

Letting go of his hand, the head mechanic patted Marcus on the shoulders with his muscular arms and almost knocking Marcus into the cockpit.

-----

Marcus yawned loudly. Hardly getting any sleep the night before, he wobbled his way through the seaport terminal towards the Titan Garuda Class aerial MS transport. Marcus thought he was to be retrieved by a smaller craft like a C5-3 Galaxy III but the Garuda was good too.

The Garuda is a huge transport that towered over many of the buildings in Orb. In essence, it is a huge aerial fortress that could carry up to 20 mobile suits. Though lightly armed, it's huge hull and thick armour allows it to participate in aerial drop operations into enemy territory with ease and still return to base without too much damage.

As he exited the terminal, he saw Tano and Orphen at the bottom of a flight of steps leading up to the entrance hatch of the Garuda transport. He also saw a black car parked to his right with a man in a dark suit and a pair of dark sunglasses leaning against it. Even with the sunglasses, Marcus recognised him as the other Orb guy he met in space, Major Watanabe.

"Yo, kid!" Kuroshin called at him.

Sighing loudly, Marcus did up the top collar of his Titan normal suit (he left his normal uniform in space) and walked over. Kuroshin was quite a bit taller than Marcus, forcing him to have to tilt his head backwards so that he can look Kuroshin in the face.

"Is there something you want, Major Kuroshin?" Marcus saluted.

Kuroshin saluted back, "Guess Terry told you about me last night, then."

"Yes, sir."

"Anyhoo, I had a little talk with a certain someone last night and that person decided to see you today." Kuroshin stepped backwards and opened the rear door of the black car. Marcus watched as a girl dressed in an Orb military uniform stepped out, it was Kriss. She was even more beautiful than before, her hair was still as unruly but the white and blue uniform fitted her form. She was wearing a thin layer of make up on her face, her lips were pinker than yesterday while her eyelashes seemed to be a deeper shade.

She walked up to Marcus with her hands pressed on her chest. Kriss blushed when she saw Marcus.

"Hi." She said timidly. Marcus had never seen her like this since she is usually full of self-confidence. Kuroshin took of his sunglasses and went back into the car.

"Hi there." He said back. Both of them stood in silence, staring at each other. Neither was sure what to do next.

"Here, take this." Kriss extended her hand out to Marcus. Inside her palm was a necklace with a small golden heart at the bottom.

Marcus looked back at her in confusion, "What is it?"

"It's a necklace, what do you think it is?" Kriss pouted

"No," Marcus was glad that the regular Kriss was back, "I mean why are you giving this to me?"

Kriss undid the chain at the back of the necklace and tied it carefully around Marcus' neck.

"We have a tradition in Orb that whenever a person goes away for possibly a long time, someone who cares about them deeply would give them a necklace of some kind."

Marcus looked down at the necklace to see that the golden heart was a casing.

"What's inside it?"

"You'll find out." Kriss said chirpily. She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek, "Just don't open it unless you are in a desperate situation, OK? I really have to go now. My father is expecting me for a state meeting. Stay safe, Marcus."

Beaming, Kriss ran back into the car and shut the door. Marcus watched the car drive off, all the time holding the heart tightly in his hands.

_I'll stay alive, I promise. _

-----

Ryan and Vivian lied under the duvet with their uniforms and underwear scattered all around Ryan's quarters. The harsh heat of Egypt was cancelled out by the air conditioning but the rays of sunlight coming in through the window warmed the couple.

When Vivian woke up, Ryan was leaning against the headrest of his bed. His face had the same expression that she had seen many times before.

"We have another day's leave. You shouldn't be worrying about things at a time like this." She cooed softly, running her fingers up his arms, "You're thinking about him, aren't you?"

Ryan sighed loudly and closed his eyes. He after his encounter with Marcus on the small island, the guilt inside him had begun to resurface.

"You don't understand. Before I met him on Heliopolis I though he was dead." He decided to keep their day on the island a secret, "The more I think about him the more I remember what I did to him and his parents."

Vivian sat up and wrapped the bed sheet around her naked body.

"You know, it's good to let your feelings out rather than to keep them inside." She said, pushing her hair behind her ears, "Tell me what's worrying you."

Ryan sighed again, "Thanks, but there are some things I like to keep to myself for now."


	14. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Geminass**

"Transport T-eight-three-seven, you are cleared for landing in the main bay. Enter at ten port speed."

The shuttle pilot checked his controls and slowly guided the large MS transport into Barge's main hangar bay. The Chinese man who sat beside him opened his eyes for the first time during the entire journey from Earth to the orbiting battle fortress.

"So this is what I have sold my soul and pride for…" He said before shutting his eyes again.

-----

Barge's commander, Vice Admiral Adalwolf Fleischer, balanced a pencil upon his index finger as he pondered over the recent ZAFT movements in his office. He had earned the position of Vice Admiral through nothing but hard work and the odd piece of luck here and there, but never in his wildest dreams did he think that he would be commanding the Barge. The command was originally intended for Vice Admiral Erik Lundqvist however a terrorist attack blew him out into open space. Fleischer always wanted to thank the terrorist for handing the commander's position to him on a platter. The doorbell made him lose his concentration and the pencil drifted off his finger. Annoyed, he yanked the pencil out of the air and placed on his desk, "Enter."

Two smartly dressed young men floated in when the doors opened.

"Lieutenant Richard de la Bretonne, reporting as ordered, sir!" The young man with a bright face and matching dyed white hair saluted. The other man saluted too, his mahogany coloured hair half covered his fair face.

"Lieutenant Vincent de la Norrio reporting, sir!"

No matter how many times Fleischer saw the two they always reminded him of the boy band singers his daughter was so drawn to back on Earth. He coughed and sat up in his leather chair.

"At ease, gentlemen. I assume that the current tests of the Geminass units are progressing steadily?"

Vincent and Richard glanced at each other, as if urging the other to say something. Finally, Richard spoke.

"Yes, sir. Tests and fine tuning of the system are progressing."

"So why are you behind schedule?" Fleischer stared Richard in the eye.

"There were problems encountered during the PX activation phase." Fleischer saw beads of sweat form on Richard's forehead, "No matter how much fine tuning we did, we could not maintain PX mode for more than one minute and twenty-three seconds. The engineers believe that it is a bug within the code itself but have not been able to trace the problem…"

"I don't want to hear any more excuses." Fleischer sighed, "You two are Oz Prize officers, the best of the best and you can't get one single task done. So because of the importance of the PX Project to the OAE R&D in Edinburgh, the original development team to help with the completion of the project."

Both Vincent and Richard was taken aback.

"But sir, how can we trust them to work on the project without sabotaging them?" Vincent protested.

"They are now officially Oz troops, despite their background. Even though we defeated their government and army back during World War III, their soldiers are loyal to Oz now. I will not tolerate any protests." Fleischer harsh tone suddenly disappeared, "I personally wouldn't have those filth here, but it was an order by Admiral Reynolds. It was out of my hands."

Richard and Vincent kept their anger in check. They both trusted the Vice Admiral, but working with old Chinese Union officers felt beneath them. Fleischer spun his chair around and looked at the Oz flag behind him.

"But remember that you are Oz Prize personnel, not just simply Oz personnel. Therefore you are a rank above your new friends. Their commanding officer is Captain Tang and you are both First Lieutenants…"

Smiles appeared on both Vincent's and Richard's faces.

"Yes, sir. We'll _cooperate _with them."

"Good." Fleischer spun back around, "But I want you two to make sure that you keep your tempers in check. I know you lost friends to them during the campaign. But if I hear that you two are dragging the project down, then I'll reassign you to the nearest deep-space manned satellite, is that understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Both men saluted and stood to attention.

-----

"Check the fifty-three-C module for any inconsistencies. I don't want the uni-oc part to malfunction like before. Also do a complete diagnostic of the OS and PX records for any new inputs that the technicians here put in." Tang Hui said to his team while sifting through pages of documentation that were accumulated during the testing of the Geminass Units by Oz Prize. He shook his head at the numbers and graphs. _What the hell have they been doing? Most of the parts they installed aren't even compatible with the original technology._

"Uh, Captain." One of Tang's technicians interrupted, pointing towards two advancing officers.

Tang handed the clipboard to one of his subordinates and saluted, "Captain Tang of the Forty-Fifth Engineering Corps of the Second Oz Army."

The two Oz Prize officers ignored his introduction.

"Hey, Rich, you think that these guys can really get the Geminass fixed in time?" Vincent glanced at the group of Chinese engineers with distain.

"I don't think so. If we can't get them properly calibrated, what are the chances that these SOBs can?"

"You bastard…" One of the Chinese engineers began rolling up his sleeves, only to be blocked by Tang.

"We'll do our best to get these two MS calibrated and get the PX System complete before the deadline given to us."

Vincent made an "o" shape with his mouth with Richard sniggering behind him. He swaggered over to Tang and looked him in the eye.

"From now on, you will call us 'sir'. Don't forget who won that war. If it were up to me, I'd had the lot of you executed as soon as you surrendered. So excuse me if I seem a little condescending…as if you even knew what that meant." Vincent eyed Tang's face and his black hair. He noticed the small stars that were pinned to the man's shoulders and sneered with disgust, "I lost a lot of good friends during that war with you. I don't want to work with you any more than I would want to eat breakfast out of a toilet, so I want this project to be completed as quickly as possible, understood?"

"Yes, sir." Tang responded without emotion trying not to provoke Vincent, but it just made the situation worse.

"You think you're so tough, don't you? Just waltz into our military, eat our food and steal our resources for your own little projects. We don't like you or your so-called men; in fact I can't even stand to be near you and I believe that Rich will agree with me. But we have orders to pilot the Geminass units and I want to spend as little time as possible with you, is that understood?"

"Understood, sir." Tang saluted and watched them walk away before saying, "We are departing for Earth tomorrow at o'six hundred hours for field testing in gravity conditions."

Richard and Vincent didn't respond but Tang knew they had heard him.

"You shouldn't have taken that, sir." One of the engineers tapped Tang on the shoulder.

Tang took a deep breath and rubbed his neck.

"There's nothing much I can do, Jiang Biao. Anyway, they need us as much as we need them. They need us to develop the PX System and we need their resources to complete Geminass." He sighed.

"Sir, we need to replace the server modules." An engineer shouted out of the Geminass 01's cockpit.

"I'll get on it." Tang shouted back and focused on his work.

-----

Major Harris tapped his foot gently on the floor of the Oz Naval base in Southampton, England. His orders were to remain at Southampton base with the Quest Squad while the preparations for the Oz conference were finalised. He disliked being stuck in a rec room, but there was honestly nothing for him to do while the rest of his team was off checking the base for any points of infiltration. He tossed his head back on the sofa and stared at the grey ceiling. The door to the room clicked and he immediately sat up straight.

"I don't see what's so important about the entrance at port number three." The voice outside said, the Major recognised it instantly as Mark Schneider, "To be honest, I can't see why you are obsessed with beefing up security that much."

Mark stepped into the room, quickly saluted at the Major and took a seat on the sofa opposite him. Marigbo, Harriet and Mason followed him in and took seats around the room.

Harriet brushed her hair back and said, "Look, you can't be too careful. That pier is a possible entrance for enemy insurgents."

"Who the hell would come out from under the water?" Mark laughed off her comment, "The last time I checked ZAFT was in Africa with no ships able to get past our mines in the English Channel…"

"French Channel." The Major interrupted.

"Whatever. So unless the Titans decide to turn on us, I'm pretty sure that there's no chance anyone can sneak past us with a sub."

Harriet leaned back into the black leather, looking miffed.

"What about Entrance number twelve?" Marigbo asked. Promoted after Operation Juggle, his First Lieutenant insignia shone in the room's light.

Mark glared at his former subordinate, "What about it."

Taken aback, Marigbo suddenly reverted to his former nervous self, "W-well, it's t-t-the least d-d-defended entrance and I-I think t-t-that w-we could h-h-have more people there or something."

"What? Stop stuttering. You're a full lieutenant now, act like one." Mark stood up and walked over to the water cooler.

Marigbo swallowed hard, repressing his nervous imposition, "I just think that Entrance number twelve would be the perfect place for any potential enemies to enter into the base without detection. I mean it's secluded, there's poor visibility from its observation tower and it's close to the generators."

"Aren't we supposed to let the insurgents into the base?"

"I know that," Marigbo was becoming more agitated, "Like I explained it three times already, if we leave an entrance open for the insurgents, they'll think that it is a trap and won't fall for the bait. So if we put equal number of guards while expose subtle weaknesses in one gate or another then they'll probably go for it."

"I agree with Marigbo." The Major interjected, getting a headache from listening to them argue.

Seeing that the decision had already been made, Mark threw up his arms, leaned against Harriet and pecked her on the cheek. The way that both of them giggled like eighteen year-old lovers made Marigbo, Mason and the Major slightly nauseous.

Trying to ignore them, the Major went back to his thoughts. Despite briefing his squad on Operation Darling, he had been instructed to leave out several important facts by His Excellency Riken. Apparently the Romefeller Foundation doesn't trust any of Riken's troops below the rank of Major.

_If they only knew what was really going on…_ the Major thought as he stared back up at the ceiling.

-----

_Listen up, The POW's intel was accurate. There are twenty-three Union GMs, thirty tanks and twenty-two fighters ready to go. Thomas Squad will go for the fighters and then secure the perimeter, you'll be dropped by the runway. Latimer and James Squads will go after the mobile suits, you'll be dropped down in the northern part of the base and where you'll head inwards. Norman Squad will be dropped at the east entrance and will take out the tanks and any other hostile targets. Balmer Squad will find the building where the leaders are and eliminate them, you'll be dropped with the Thomas Squad. Any questions? Good. Cloud cover will hide you until you are two hundred meters above ground, don't fire your weapon unless you are one hundred percent you are able to hit a target. To the four newbies, use your computers but remember to use your heads too. Thirty until drop. Good hunting, gentlemen. If you complete the mission and make it back, I'll buy you a drink. _

Vincent's right hand gripped the Leo's controller so hard that his knuckles were turning white.

_T-Minus three…two…one…Drop!_

Vincent was suddenly lurched backwards out of the stealth transport plane and his Leo began descending towards the ground.

"All units, only use the deceleration burn when you are one hundred meters from the ground." Captain Thomas's voice said through the radio.

Alright, Vince, breathe. Breathe. It's not your first time going into battle.

The thick cloud on the view screen allowed him to concentrate what he was going to do. Target the planes on the tarmac as soon as he can get a clear resolution and to take out anything else that would get in his way. If only the instructors in the Academy at Southdown in England told them how to get rid of the nauseous feeling in his gut.

As soon as his Leo exited the cloud, there was a massive barrage of bullets coming up from the ground.

_Someone must have panicked and fired their rifle._ He thought as he weaved his Leo in and out of the incoming projectiles.

"Stay together when you land. Vincent, land outside the base and meet up with Cadet de la Bretonne from the James Squad and make sure that we don't have any nasty surprises. Sorry about leaving you out of the action, but this is something that should be left to the officers." The captain apologised.

"No problem sir." Vincent, personally quite relieved, rotated his Leo around and fired his thrusters to join the other Leo heading in the same direction.

"Hey, de la Bretonne," The pilot of the other Leo called out as they landed with a thud about one hundred meters outside the base, "Sucks that we're not getting into the action tonight."

"I don't care. And cut the radio chatter, we don't want to be found out here." Vincent said back calmly. In reality he was more worried about his squad mates that are fighting in the base. Each explosion could mean that one of them would not be coming back. The two Leos trudged through the paddy fields that surrounded the Chinese base. Vincent was surprised that there was literally no-one civilians around or anything else for that matter.

Suddenly all of the radio chatter from the Oz units inside the base stopped.

The hell? He and Richard turned their Leos towards the base only to see it engulfed in light. The Leos were jerked off their feet and flung backwards.

-----

Vincent sprung up from his bed. He looked around his surroundings expecting to be in the cockpit of his Leo but found that he was in his quarters. He rubbed his eyes and walked over to his washbasin. All of his squad mates disappeared in that one instant.

Damn them, damn them all…

-----

"This is Taurus two-three to T-eight-three-seven: nothing new to report. Continuing with patrol. Tempes out."

"Taurus two-four reporting in: nothing either. Continuing with patrol. Campbell out."

"Sounds like nothing's going to go wrong." One of Tangs engineers muttered. Tang's team was chatting amongst themselves while he was reviewing the test results that Oz had collected before he came to Barge. Though he didn't like the idea of Richard and Vincent sat in the Geminass units for the entire ride but he thought it would have been for the best for both parties to be separate.

"Hey Jiang Biao, look at this for me will you?" He handed over the wad of paper to the person behind him, "Am I the only one…"

Jiang looked at the first page, flipped a few pages and looked at the first page again, "No, I agree but I don't think it'll be a problem."

"By the looks of it, they don't seem to have actually activated the system fully. You're not giving me a false report, are you?"

"Oh, I'm hurt." Jiang Baio handed the paper back to Tang, "Why would I give a false report to you? Those two are just too full of themselves to admit that they're failures."

Tang chuckled and placed the paper on his lap. He placed his head on the chair's head-rest and closed his eyes, hoping to catch-up on some sleep and ignoring the beeping in the cockpit around him.

His mind wondered whether joining Oz at the end of the war was worth it. Sure, he had spent most of his career working on the Geminass Project, which had become almost an obsession. After the end of World War III with the defeat of the Chinese Union to Oz, what was left of the Chinese Union military was given the chance to join the Oz military. It was clear that Oz wanted the old soldiers to retain control over the region without their own European troops being involved. Many of the soldiers resigned and went back to their families, but Tang saw this as an opportunity to exploit Oz's more advanced technologies for the Geminass. His engineering crew, though reluctant, followed him and joined the Oz Engineering Corps. All those who stayed with Oz were seen as traitors and assassinations of former Chinese Union officers were commonplace, but Tang kept his resolve to see through the Geminass Project, no matter who helps him.

"Taurus two-three to T-eight-three-seven, code F-two. Two ZAFT Laurasia-class ships spotted at grid two-two-one sector two-three. Possible total of ten mobile suits. Seems like they're on a regular patrol. Recommend we change course to avoid."

The engineers looked at Tang with apprehension. They knew Tang had a habit of thrusting them into danger in the name of the Geminass' development.

"Agreed. Li, plot us another course to avoid ZAFT. We can't have the Geminass destroyed here."

The engineers sighed in relief.

"Sir! The MS bay hatch is opening and our escorts are retuning to base."

A look of utter horror appeared on Tang's face as he clambered over to the main computer console and picked up a headset connected to the laser transmitter.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?!" He hollered.

"Just taking them for a spin. We sent the two Taurus back to Barge. We'll handle them ourselves." Then the channel went dead. Outside, he saw his two creations take off towards the two ZAFT ships.

"Shit!" Tang threw the headset against the panel, which bounced off and floated in the zero-gravity conditions, "OK, activate all data collecting equipment. I don't want this to be a waste. Take us closer to those ships but make sure that they don't see us."

-----

"You take the four on the right and I'll take the four on the right. Leave the battleships and it's escort for last."

Vincent pressed a few buttons on his console and the six incoming GINNs appeared as labels on his HUD.

"Looks like they have standard equipment. They'll be in weapons range in twenty, Rich. Don't fire until you have a clear resolution." Vincent felt oddly nostalgic when he said that.

"Roger that. PX System activated." Both Geminass units took the beam rifles from their backs and took aim.

"Incoming beams!" Both units darted sideways as the green beams from the Laurasias punched through the hole made by the GINNs, "Heads up!"

Eight GINNs ploughed through the darkness, spraying bullets in the Geminass' general direction. Boosting upwards, Vincent put a bead on a GINN following Vincent and pulled the trigger. The beam cut clean through the GINN's main engines and engulfed the entire suit in flames. Remembering his training to not look at the explosions, he activated the main engines and narrowly avoided two missiles aimed at where he was.

Another explosion nearby meant another GINN had been downed by Richard. Not wanting to lose out to his partner, Vincent drew a bead on another GINN but bullets rained down on him as two GINNs closed in from above. A missile from one of the GINNs hit the Geminass' beam rifle causing an overload.

"Shit!" He tossed the rifle towards the incoming GINNs and it exploded in their faces. Without thinking, he pulled out the Geminass 01's beam sabre and charged directly into the explosion. Hoping that the GINNs pilots were blinded, he plunged the beam sabre into the dissipating plasma flames and caught one of them in the chest. Unfortunately, the other GINN plunged its heavy sword into the Geminass' left shoulder joint, rendering it unusable and hanging by a hinge.

"Screw you!" Vincent swung the beam sabre wildly and sliced a GINN in half. He boosted away just in time to avoid the explosion. Looking around, he saw four trails of blue light chasing another.

Richard…! Vincent felt the anger inside of him explode. He didn't notice the blinking light beside him:

**PX SYSTEM ACTIVE**

-----

"Shit, how the hell did I let them…!" Richard was flung forwards as another volley of bullets hit the back of his blue Geminass 02. Turning the suit around while still travelling forwards, he fired a few beam shots into the pursuing GINNs which they easily dodged and continued firing.

"What the…?" A white blur flew past his monitor causing the 02's proximity alarm to screech. There was a loud crashing noise and several flashes of green light. It wasn't until several seconds later that Richard realised that the Geminass 02's accelerated rifle was missing and the GINNs that were pursuing him had all exploded. He stopped the mobile suit and searched his view screen for the strange blur.

"Vince, was that you? Where are you? Answer me, damn it!" He called out despite seeing that the Minovsky particle density in the area had reached 0.6, which meant that any communication would be generally garbled. In the corner of his eye, he saw a brilliant flash of white and yellow.

The battleships! He sped towards the light. Richard watched the spectacular show ahead of him; yellow streams of light spraying in all directions and the odd green pillar would fly out which were then swallowed up by another ball of white and yellow followed by two smaller ones.

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" Richard heard Tang shouting in his headset and saw the MS carrier pull up next to the Geminass 02, "Get any closer and you'll be destroyed with him."

"What the hell is happening to Vincent?!"

Tang sighed, "What you two have experienced during training had not been the PX System. Your time limit of one minute and twenty-three seconds had been the activation sequence of the PX System that boosts your reactions by around 10 and decreases the automatic safety protocols in place protecting the pilot by 10 because of your new reaction speeds. What you just saw now was the fully activated PX System."

"Then why the hell did we not activate it before?" Richard watched the light show fade and saw the blue vernier trail of Vincent's Geminass dart around in the distance.

"Because the PX System needs the pilot to overload in adrenalin before activating." Tang replied, "When the body receives an adrenalin boost, usually as a result of fear, the pilot's strength and reactions increase automatically as your mind tries to take you away from danger. But the PX System uses that urge to run and switches it into anger and uses the targeting computer to find potential targets."

"But all the enemies are gone, then the PX System would deactivate, right?"

"The system was not designed to shut down."

"What?!" Richard was pissed that no one had told him that the PX System had side effects.

"The Lieutenant will continually search for new enemies and will even attack friendlies as well if no one stops him. The Geminass units were designed for single MS missions to wipe out enemy forces, not made for team combat. So if you approached him now assuming that he's still on your side, he will destroy you without a second thought."

Richard's hand clenched the control sticks, seething with anger. All this time he had been piloting a machine designed for suicide missions.

"How can I get Vince back?" He said. He had to swallow some of his pride by asking Tang for help since he had no idea what to do. There was some whispering in his radio before Tang replied.

"We have an automatic shutdown program that we can use to power down the mobile suit but we would need to be within communications range of the Geminass to transmit it with all this Minovsky interference. You'll have to hold the 01 while we do our job. We need approximately ten seconds to transmit the program and then another ten for the suit to completely shut down."

Richard knew that it would not be easy but if it could save Vincent then he had to try, after all, he and Vincent survived together in China and he wasn't about to let him go crazy out here.

"Once I got him, you better be ready!" He said and charged towards the Geminass 01.

"Roger that."

-----

_Enemies…where are they?_

_Defeat…_

_I must defeat all enemies…_

_My mission is to defeat all enemies…_

_Mobile suit approaching at four o'clock…_

_Damn Union bastards…_

_I'll destroy you…_

-----

The Geminass 01 boosted directly at Richard's 02 at a tremendous speed, swing it's beam sabre down as soon as it got close. Richard's own reflexes barely managed to dodge the particle beam but lost some paint on its chest. Drawing the 02's beam sabre, Richard parried the next lunge from the deranged Vincent and sliced at the 01's remaining arm. The verniers on the right side of the 01 came into action and twisted the mobile suit around 180 degrees and roundhouse kicking the 02, knocking it backwards towards the debris left by the destroyed ZAFT ships.

Shaken by the sudden impact of the kick, Richard shook his head and activated a communications channel to the 01 hoping to buy some time for the transport to get to get closer, "Vince, snap out of it! It's me, Richard!"

"Kill…must destroy all enemies…no one can be allowed to live…" Was the reply.

My God, what's happened to you, Vince? Richard thought as he rammed a piece of hull from the ZAFT ships towards the 01 but its beam sabre just sliced it in half like it was paper and smashed through the pieces.

"Vincent! Listen to me! This is not you! It's Richard, your friend!" The 02 sprung upwards just before the 01 reached it. Looking down, he saw the 01 holding tightly onto the 02's left leg and swinging its beam sabre. The sound of the beam slicing through metal made Richard shudder but he stayed alert and slammed the back of the 02's left feet right onto the 01's head, crushing it and destroying the main cameras.

The 01's actions became erratic as soon as the head was smashed and it let go of the 02. Taking the opportunity, Richard quickly moved the 02 behind the 01 and grabbed hold of it, making sure that it wouldn't be able to move or swing it's right arm. Looking around him, he saw the vernier trail of the transport closing in.

"SEND THE PROGRAM!" He screamed, trying to hold both MS still. A flash of blue on the view screen almost blinded him. The 01 had opened its main verniers to full and was trying to melt his opponent. With alarms beeping around him, the increasing heat levels and the entire cockpit turning red around him, Richard quietly prayed. He had not prayed in a long time, not since he left home for university during the turbulent World War III period but seeing that he might actually die right now, it seemed appropriate to ask for forgiveness, so he shut his eyes and prayed. Then the deafening noise of the 01's engines stopped.

Richard opened his eyes and saw the 01 had stopped struggling. Slowly unwrapping his hands from the control sticks, he let out a sigh of relief.

-----

Vincent drifted alone in a dark void. His head felt light but his body was heavy.

"Where am I?"

No one answered. He didn't know why he asked the question to the void nor did he know why he was waiting for a reply. Just as he was about to give up, a soft female voice spoke.

**Inside me.**

"What are you?"

**I am named the System.**

"The PX System?"

**No.**

"Then what are you?"

**The System.**

"Why am I here?"

**You are the first to activate me. However you are not the one.**

"Not the one…? What are you talking about?"

**You are not the one for me.**

Before Vincent could ask anything else, a sharp pain in the entire right side of his body made him scream.

-----

Vincent jerked his eyes open and saw Tang's face staring down at him, his hand was squeezing the drip-feed bag that was connected to his right arm, which explained why the right side of his body was in excruciating pain.

"Is the other one awake?" Tang spoke and another voice said 'yes'.

"Alright," Tang's voice was unemotional but it gave Vincent the impression that he was going to kill him right there, "I'm usually a very patient man, Mr de la Bretonne and de la Norrio, however your stunt yesterday pushed beyond my patience. And this is what I do when I become annoyed."

He let go of the drip-feed bag and then squeezed it again. The pain just became much worse for Vincent. He heard a low moaning behind Tang that sounded like Richard.

"Now, I'm going to say this once and only once, do you understand? Good. I don't mind being treated like dirt by Oz or Oz Prize, in fact I'm used to it by now. But what I do not tolerate is the fact that little know-it-alls like yourself and your partner decide to act on your own discretion. You're lucky that you to are not going to be court-martialled, even if it was what I wanted." Tang let go and squeezed the bag again to keep Vincent from passing out.

"Let me tell you something, Lieutenants, I don't particularly care about what you do to me or my me, but what I do mind is what you do to the Geminass. There is extensive damage to both mobile suits, which my men are working around the clock to fix. I have a tight schedule to keep in accordance with the timetable set by the R&D department and you two had caused an eight-day delay."

"Now, if either of you two EVER dare to do anything that puts any of the Geminass Units in danger without my permission, I'll see to it that you two are found dead the next day and make it look like an accident to any investigation conducted. I don't care about your lives, you can be replaced, but the Geminass cannot. Just be grateful that the core systems did not suffer extensive damage or you won't ever be able to get out of this bed."

Tang released the drip-feed bag and adjusted his collar. He motioned to the other man standing beside Richard's bed and walked to the door. Before walking out, he turned back to the two men lying in the Oz hospital bed in Istanbul,

"Oh, before I forget, from this point on you two will address me as sir and regard me as your superior officer and I want you to show the same respect to my men."

"Yes, sir." Both Richard and Vincent replied weakly.

"Good." Tang smiled and the door closed.


	15. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Knight **

_23:29 20th Apirl CY 089_

"Is anyone there?"

"This is a general SOS."

"I'm moving towards a shoal zone in an escape capsule."

"The hatch to the capsule's been contorted. I can't open it from the inside. I'm trapped."

"I can't tell how far I am from it but at my current speed, I think I might reach it in about a few days."

"I have enough food, water and oxygen to last me for another five days, but I think I might hit something before then."

"If anyone's listening…"

-----

_08:23 21st April CY 089_

"What's this?" Tyan glanced over what looked like a pilot roster.

"Our order and jobs for the next few weeks." Wiz answered as he dug through his trunk, looking for his piloting suit, "Those are the people assigned to you."

Tyan flipped over the personnel sheets and saw the young faces staring, and smiling, back at him. He knew that the EUF pilots can't just sit around while the York, Southampton and Shanghai were being repaired, but he had never expected to be given pilots to train. Reading through the training schedule he realised that it was all live-actual training, a term for training in the mobile suit or amour that you were assigned to during combat in space.

Tyan fell backwards onto his bunk, "Why isn't there simulator training?"

"Because all the other pilots are assigned to tactical, simulator and technical." Sieg walked into the two-man room. He was the only one assigned to private quarters, which made Wiz and Tyan slightly miffed as they share the same rank.

"And let me guess," Tyan sat back up again and threw the papers on to his desk, "We're the only ones experienced enough to provide these kids with the skills they need to fly."

Sieg nodded and patted Wiz on his back as he left for his first session as an instructor. He pulled over the nearest chair and sat down facing Tyan.

"Look, I know you had that bad experience back then with your brother and her but you need to put that behind you. If you can lead a squad of Jegans during the battle I think you should have no problems with these guys. Plus, I thought you were over the whole ambush thing."

Tyan looked more despondent when Sieg mentioned the bloody massacre they faced a while back. They still don't know who attacked them and what their motives were but when they had to desert from the EUF, there was no chance for them to investigate this matter further.

When Sieg read Tyan's report on one enemy unit's ability to use an afterimage effect, it reminded him of the F91 project that Zeon had been working on during the late days of the One Year War which was taken up again by Nord Industries in Orb when the war ended. Since then, there had been no information about what happened to the project.

"Alright," Tyan stood up, "I'll do it. But don't expect too much. And you better be pulling your weight too!"

Sieg smiled at his comrade's change of attitude, "At least you and Wiz got some of the better pilots. I got all the pilots with the lowest simulator scores and need the most training."

Tyan patted Sieg on the back and smiled, "Because our cute captain likes you. You have a crush on her, right?"

"WHA?!" Sieg's face became a shade of crimson. He slammed the quarter's door shut and moved towards Tyan menacingly, "Who told you? How did you find out?"

Tyan smiled weakly and started backing away from Sieg, "N-n-no one, I j-j-just made that up."

"Is that so?" Sieg kept advancing on his friend, "And what gave you the idea of suddenly coming up with-"

_Because she's gave you your own room and made you the leader of our squad, you brown noser!_

"Oh, you did not just think that." Sieg raised his fist.

"Damn you! This is why I hate our Newtype abilities!" Tyan cursed. He was now backed up against the wall and had nowhere to run to.

Two AEUG personnel who happened to pass the room at that moment heard a small yelp from it. They looked at each other, shrugged and walked on.

-----

_10:23 21st April CY 089_

"Is anyone there?"

"Please, if anyone is out there, please answer."

"I'm moving dangerously close to a shoal zone."

"This escape capsule won't be able to withstand being hit by a piece of debris."

"Please. I am Ensign Karen Regent of the downed Oz Salamis cruiser Minor."

"It was destroyed by a ZAFT patrol and I think there are other survivors, but I have yet to visually confirm any."

"I don't mind who you are and who you are aligned with. Please, just help me."

"I'm scared."

-----

_09:02 22nd April CY 089_

Tyan faced a group of four pilots, each slightly younger than him. Being 28 years old means that you were the perfect age for piloting, and as the adage goes, dying too. One female and three males, all of different national descent. For some strange reason they were standing in height order, which amused him slightly since it was one of the most obvious ways of sucking up.

He rubbed his cheek where Sieg had punched him yesterday, had he not escaped quickly, he would not have been inspecting this group of trainees but inspecting the ceiling of the AEUG medical facility.

"So you're Alex Acroledosedes, Natalie Berstoka, Mahat Ingles and Peter Amble." The pilots all gave a prompt 'Sir!' when Tyan read out their names, "Alright. From this day forth, whenever you're with me, you will call me Needle one. Amble, Needle two; Berstoka, Needle three; Ingles, Needle four and Acrolede-Acrel-Alex, Needle five."

Alex nodded while the other three pilots grinned at their embarrassed squad leader.

Tyan coughed and continued, "Since this is our first outing together, I have no idea about how good you are with your Zeta Plus C1s, apart from your 35 hours in the simulators and 10 hours in live-training, I also have no idea about each of your strengths and weaknesses aside from what is written on the reports. Therefore, this training session will concentrate on your flight techniques only. So when you climb into your C1s, you will find that I have uploaded a map. I want to see how fast you guys take to complete it. Any questions?"

Ingles raised his hand, "Um, sir," he said timidly, "The briefing memo stated that we were to do some high level flight training exercises. Not just an assigned course."

Tyan floated over to Ingles and backhanded him in the face, sending the man into an uncontrollable spin. Alex and Berstoka had to helped him back onto his feet.

"If you can't stop yourself from spinning in a weightless environment, how do you expect to go into combat with mobile suits? Mobile suits are extensions of your bodies and if you can't even control your own body in this weightless environment then how do you expect to fare in combat? Now anyone else want to question my methods? Or do you guys want to have more happy time with the back of my hand?"

Silence.

"Good. Needle two will be in command of the squad during exercises where I am the enemy. Let's get going."

-----

_10:56 23rd April CY 089_

"I think I'm definitely getting closer to the shoal zone."

"The debris are moving pretty fast."

"I lost the capsule's propulsion. I think I was hit by something when the Minor exploded and can't manoeuvre."

"I thought I heard some comm. chatter over the static, but I think that's me hallucinating."

"If I'm not, please, answer."

"I don't want to die out here alone."

"Not alone like this."

-----

_11:02 23rd April CY 089_

"Needle two, you're too slow around the third pass around the colony." Tyan lectured angrily. He knew that these pilots had practically no experience but he had expected better. He tapped his foot angrily on the control pedal of his Re-GZ in BWS configuration. Thankfully, the York carried two back-up BWS packs around at all times to replace any lost in combat.

He watched the grey Zeta Plus C1s fly circles around the Lohar-1 colony. It's interior was like all the other colonies in the Earth Sphere: lush green patches of grass and trees coupled with grey areas of concrete and metal while dots of blue showed ponds and small lakes. The reflective 'wings' of the colony reflected in the precious sunlight that was bounced in by a complicated series of mirrors placed in the shoal zone to imitate the days on Earth.

But in the distance was the dark Lohar-2 colony. Even though the colony spun around, creating the centrifuge effect, just like Lohar-1, its interior was dark and somewhat foreboding. No one on Lohar-1 had provided a satisfactory answer for the EUF officers as to why Lohar-2 was abandoned. Siegfried Reinable, appointed to be the official liaison between Captain Matsumoto and EUF officers with the AEUG council, said that the colony had to be abandoned due to G3 gas contamination during the One Year War. The AEUG council thought their equipment was able to clear the toxins but the plan did not work out, so the dead colony remains spinning beside her sparkling sister.

Tyan and the others have their doubts about Siegfried's explanation, but were ordered by Captain Matsumoto, Hutter and Nimri to drop the matter. Tyan chuckled at the absurdity of everything he's gone through during the past few weeks: destruction, betrayal and finding a new home. It felt like something only seen in a bad sci-fi television show or a third rate novel.

"Alright guys." Tyan called out, "That's enough. Form up on me."

The grey Zetas split from their circular route around the colony and moved behind the Re-GZ in a V formation.

"Good. I can see that you're obviously better than what I gave you credit for. Now let's see how good you guys are at keeping pace. I want you to keep a weapons lock to a variance of point-five for at least five seconds." He heard groans and complaints that they were never going to catch him. Someone even mentioned that they were hungry.

_These AEUG pilots lack discipline._ He thought.

"Alright. Fine. If that's the way you want it, then go home. If you don't even try to catch me, then there's no point in you being pilots." Tyan said, knowing full well that the four trainees had no choice but to go along with him. The groans stopped and "yes, sir" were heard from each of them.

"OK. You each get three minutes to complete the task. I'll treat anyone who manages to get me to lunch." Shouts of enthusiasm came through Tyan's headset, "Needle two, you're up first. Give me a fifteen-second head start. Remember to keep your eyes on my trail. Ready? GO!"

The Re-GZ's verniers came to life and pushed to it into forwards towards the inner edge of the shoal zone. After 15 seconds, Peter Amble's C1 surged forwards after his instructor.

Tyan checked his rear camera and saw a small blue light trailing behind him. Even though the Re-GZ was technically a newer unit and had greater acceleration than the Zeta Plus C1, but in a real battle, speed meant nothing.

_Let's see how Amble can handle sudden turns._

Slowing the Re-GZ, Tyan waited for Amble to slowly gain on him. When he saw that Amble was approximately 1km away, Tyan back flipped over the C1 and sped the other way, leaving Amble dumbstruck.

The next ten minutes was practically the same with Tyan using the same trick on Amble, Berstoka and Ingles. He had hoped that these pilots were able to develop some kind of countermeasure against his tactics but now all that's left was Acroledosedes. From the files, Alex had the lowest simulator scores out of the whole group.

Tyan started off in the same direction, pushing his machine to full thrust towards the inner edge of the shoal zone with Acroledosedes' C1 in pursuit. But this time, instead of a back flip, Tyan moved into the shoal zone, expecting Acroledosedes to follow where outside of the debris field and wait for him to come out. But to his surprise, Acroledosedes followed him in. Despite his scores, Tyan found that Acroledosedes' C1 manoeuvred through the field with ease, just like him.

Must have some sort of Newtype ability to pilot through this shit like that. Tyan thought as he dodged another chunk of metal, or what looked like metal since many pieces of debris in the Lohar shoal zone were dummy balloons made to look like debris. They are armed with sensitive bombs that were set to explode whenever something came into contact with them.

"Needle five, you're gonna have to do better than that if you want to catch me!" Tyan said as he begun to plunge in and out of the debris.

"We'll see." Acroledosedes replied. He seemed to be able to follow Tyan's actions almost precisely, adjusting his course to avoid stray pieces of debris.

"Hah! It's still too early for yo-"

"Please help me."

_What?_ Tyan suddenly stopped his Re-GZ outside the shoal zone. Acroledosedes had to apply emergency reverse thrusters just to avoid the suddenly stationary blue mobile armour.

"Are you alright, sir?"

Tyan didn't hear what Alex said. He was straining his ears to hear the voice again. _It couldn't be her. No way._

"Sir?"

_She's dead. She died eight years ago. I saw it. I definitely saw it. That could not be her._

"Captain Wang?"

_She can't be alive. No chance of that. She was incinerated in that inferno. God, why didn't I help her? Why did I send her instead of going myself? Why? She didn't need to be there!_

"Sir, are you OK?"

_Oh my God, what have I done? I'm sorry brother. I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me. No, you can't go off like that. I know you hate me, but why? Tell me, WHY?!_

"SIR!"

Tyan was shaken loose from his thoughts. Examining his surroundings quickly, he remembered that he was in his Re-GZ and found that his helmet was preventing him from breathing properly. Tearing it off, Tyan gasped at the recycled air in the cockpit. It smelt of sweat drenched socks.

"Yeah, I'm OK." He replied.

"Umm, sir?"

"What?" It was then Tyan noticed a flashing red light below his arm; Acroledosedes had a positive lock on him.

Tyan laughed, "Nicely done."

"Guess you'll be buying me lunch, right, sir?"

"Fine, whatever," Tyan said as he pulled at his sealed collar, putting the voice out of his mind, "But nothing expensive. Alright, Needle Squad, RTB."

-----

_01:29 24th April CY 089_

"I think I was hit by something just now."

"My oxygen tank's leaking and it's pushing me towards the shoal zone at a faster rate than before."

"According to my gauge, I have around four hours of oxygen left and plus my eight hour normal suit supply."

-----

_10:13 24th April CY 089_

"This will be our last training session for this week until the twenty-ninth. So you guys go get a good rest after this." Tyan said while checking the weapon control panel. Rather than the normal beam cannons on the wing of the Re-GZ, the mechanics mounted two normal machineguns with short-range communication lasers. The rest of Needle squad's C1s had their normal smart-guns mounted but also equipped with comm. lasers.

"Alright. This is not a live-fire exercise, but the if the sensors detect that you have been hit by the communications laser, your C1s will react in such a way as to mimic real battle damage. This includes the shocks of being hit. Don't forget that active sensors have been deactivated and you have limited ammo, just like a real battle with Minovsky particle interference. Any questions?"

"No, sir!"

Tapping on his control panel, Tyan did the final checks on all systems, "It's going to be four on one and if you are 'destroyed', the your mobile suit's hydraulic system will shutdown until I send the signal to reactivate it. Oh, and before I forget, no transforming into mobile suit mode, understood? Let's get going!"

He stomped down on the acceleration pedal and the Re-GZ disappeared almost instantly from Needle squad's view.

"Where did he go?" Berstoka shouted.

"No idea." Ingles answered, "But from what I saw, he headed towards 023 by 043. Needle two, orders?"

Amble sat there silently for a few seconds trying to decide what to do.

"Needle squad, standard vertical diamond formation. Heading 023 by 043. We'll wait for him to make the first move."

"Roger!"

Without warning, Acroledosedes screamed.

"Needle 4, report!"

"My left vernier's been hit. Computer's calculated the angle of the attack. He's at 145 by 298!"

"How the hell did he get there? Everyone, cover Needle 4!"

"He's long gone by now!"

"Needle 4, can you continue?"

"Roger. Rerouting power from right vernier to compensate."

"Fine. Needle squad, form up on me. Keep your eyes peeled."

"Roger."

-----

_CY 079_

_Please, Tyan, Li, help me! I can't control it!_

_I'm sorry Delise. There's nothing I can do._

_Stop joking, Tyan, I know you can do something to help. Tell me how to rewire the circuits or something._

_Tyan, we got to try something._

_Li, if there was something we can do then why do you think we're not doing that right now?_

_Tyan, Li, help me!_

_TYAN! HELP HER, DAMN IT!_

_There's nothing I can do._

_Oh god, I'm approaching the surface. Oh god, Li, Tyan help me! Just do something! Somet-_

_No…No…No…_

…

_How dare you. How dare you._

_I'm sorry Li. There was nothing I could do._

_Of course not. You loved her but you knew she loved me._

_What?_

_I know what you are like. You can't stand seeing me and her be happy, so you do the only thing that will satisfy your fed up ego by getting rid of her. If you can't have her then no one will, right?_

_That's preposterous! What the hell are you thinking?_

_No what the hell were you thinking. Forget this. I'm ashamed to be your brother. I feel dirty from just looking at you. From this day on, we don't know each other. You know what, I don't even want to see your face again. And God help me if I do._

_Li, where are you going? No, don't leave. There was nothing I could do. There was really nothing I could do! Nothing…nothing…_

_Mother, father, I really didn't cause this. You have to believe me! I'll find Li, I promise. No, don't turn your back on me too. I didn't do any of this, I really didn't…It was an accident. There was nothing I could do…nothing…_

-----

_10:22 24th April CY 089_

Tyan made several more hit-and-run attacks on the group before deciding to leave them for a while to allow them time to think of a better strategy.

"Man, these kids are no fun." He muttered to himself. Checking his position according to the two colonies, he realised that he was near the same place where he heard that voice yesterday. Stopping the Re-GZ beside the edge of the shoal zone, he removed his helmet and tilted his head back on the cockpit chair's headrest. He tuned his comm. to all frequencies and just waited. Tyan had no idea what he was listening for but he waited nonetheless.

Two minutes passed and nothing but static came through the comm.

Must have been my imagination. I need to get more sleep. Tyan put his helmet back on and prepared to take out Needle squad in one go.

"Is anyone there?"

Tyan jerked his head up. _Delise?_

"Can anyone hear me?"

_It can't be her._

"This is Ensign Karen Regent of the downed Oz Salamis cruiser Minor. I'm nearing the edge of a shoal zone. I only have three hours of oxygen left but I don't think that'll matter since I'll probably be hit by something before then."

_Delise…_

"Please if anyone's out there, just answer me."

Tapping on the comm. controls, Tyan opened a channel to Needle squad.

"Terminate exercise. I repeat, terminate the training exercise. Receiving distress call from a downed Oz officer from outside the shoal zone. Needle squad, report back to base."

Flipping another switch, he opened a channel to Lohar-1 control.

"Lohar Control, this is Needle One. This is Needle One. Received distress signal from outside the shoal zone. Reported to be Oz officer. Requesting instructions. Subject sounds distressed. Will initiate communications."

A second later, a voice spoke back to Tyan.

"Needle One, do not initiate contact with subject. I repeat, do not initiate contact with subject. A squad is being dispatched to your position. ETA two minutes. Remain where you are to continue to receive communications, but do not initiate contact."

Tyan threw off his helmet again and tried to find the frequency that Karen was communicating on. Despite his orders, he was not going to just let her think that she was alone.

_Come on, just say something._ Let the computer get an accurate channel reading.

"I think my capsule will enter the shoal zone in less than ten minutes according to my visual observations. If anyone's out there, please, help me. I don't want to die alone out here."

_Come on, come on. Got it!_

Picking up his helmet again, Tyan opened his mouth to say something but hesitated. Could this be a trap to lure out the AEUG?

_No. Oz wouldn't do this. The Titans, maybe, but not Oz._

"Karen?" He said softly, trying not to alarm her.

"Hm? Is someone there?"

"Yes, I'm here." Tyan said with enthusiasm, feeling like a knight rescuing a princess.

"Hello? I heard you. Please say something else."

"I'm here, Karen. Can you hear me?"

"Hello? Hello? I definitely heard you. Please say something else. I know you're there! Please, say something else!"

"I'm here! I'm here!" Tyan fumbled with the comm. controls to recheck the frequencies. They matched, but his voice wasn't getting through to her, "Karen, can you hear me? If you can hear me, please give me some kind of sign."

"I can't hear you anymore. Change your frequency to 12.43.224.4. I can't hear you! I can't see you but I think you should be near me. I'm in grid 23 of sector Alpha-Charlie. Please, I need help. Can you hear me? Can you hear me?"

"I CAN HEAR YOU. JUST HOLD ON!" Tyan shouted while knowing full well that his communications wasn't getting through to her. Tapping furiously on the internal programming keyboard, Tyan tried to find the cause of the sudden cut in the communications line.

_Highly concentrated Minovsky particles?_ He read the report generated on his monitor, _That stuff shouldn't exist naturally out here…_

A bump on the Re-GZ's fuselage made Tyan jump. Three grey Zeta Plus C1s in mobile suit mode surrounded him, each carrying a black box rather than a beam smartgun. One of them had their hand placed on the wing of the Re-GZ.

Tyan had seen the Zeta series in mobile suit form once before but he had forgotten how different they looked from the standard Gundam models. Even though the original Zeta was called Zeta Gundam, it had a new transformable frame allowing the mobile suit to fully utilise its speed through a mobile armour mode. Of course this sacrificed a substantial amount of heavy armour around critical parts of the unit, but with almost twice the normal speed and acceleration of a mobile suit and firepower on par with some lower tier mobile armours, a good pilot will dispatch the enemy before they even manage to track the Zeta. The C1s were just mass production models of the original Zeta with lower speed, less firepower and minus a biosensor that was designed to amplify Newtype powers, a much more powerful version of the one installed in the Moebius Zero which only allowed the pilot to control the gunbarrels. Rumours say that the original Zeta Gundam was destroyed in World War III during its test flight, but no one has been able to confirm this.

"You won't get through to her, captain." Tyan recognised the voice as Siegfried, the AUEG officer assigned to liase with the EUF officers, "These boxes contain highly concentrated Minovsky particles that are blocking outgoing communications."

Tyan clenched his fists, "So are we just gonna leave her out there? Just let her be crushed by those rocks?"

"Yes."

"That's it?" Tyan put both hands on the Re-GZ's controls, "Just yes? That's a human being out there! We can help her!"

"Actually, no we can't." Siegfried said calmly, "At her current speed, she will enter the outer ring of the shoal zone in approximately ten minutes. If we follow the computer designated route, it will take at least fifteen minutes to get to where she is."

"I can fly through this right now." Tyan mumbled under his breath.

"Captain, you're not thinking rationally. Your Re-GZ, even in mobile suit mode, will not be able to get through the shoal zone. There's nothing we can do."

Tyan gritted his teeth until his gums were bleeding from the pressure. It was the same as last time. There was nothing he could do. He wanted to be a knight in shining armour but instead all he could do is just sit and watch.

"I don't care." He said, wrapping his hands around the controls tightly, "I'm going."

He heard Siegfried sigh.

"Norris, Kuroi." The other 2 C1s pulled out their long beam rifles from their back and aimed them at the Re-GZ.

Tyan let out a cold laugh, "So you're going to kill me just to stop me trying to save someone?"

"No." Siegfried's constant monotone voice was seriously annoying Tyan, "Say that in the unlikely event that you do rescue the Oz officer and bring her back to Lohar, she will be a security risk as well as a liability. She can escape at any time and reveal secrets about Lohar to Oz. This is something that the council will not risk."

"What about us? You let us in." He spat.

"Admiral Bell trusted you. Her, on the other hand, we know nothing about. So please, Captain, don't do anything foolish."

Tyan looked around and saw that the Zeta Plus C1s were in position to take him out no matter how he tried to move. Even ejecting the BWS to distract them wouldn't work. Mustering every ounce of his energy, he peeled his fingers away from the controls. Karen's voice was still on the comm.

"My position is grid 23 of sector Alpha-Charlie. I don't have long. Please, if you are there, I'm begging you for help."

Tyan curled up into a foetal position in the cockpit, pushing his face into his hands. It was exactly like last time.

-----

_10:31 24th April CY 089_

"One twenty before entry." Siegfried's voice seemed to echo around Tyan's cockpit. Karen seemed to have resigned herself to her fate and had fell silent for the past eight minutes. Suddenly her voice came back on the comm.

"If you're there, I'm sure you must have your reasons for not communicating with me. I'm sure I sounded like such a coward to you even though Oz officers are supposed to put on a brave face even at the end. I'm not blaming you for not coming to rescue me. I really don't have anyone to blame apart from myself for joining the Oz Spacy. I could have stayed on Earth and raised a family but instead I joined the military, just to spite my family. Great life, eh?"

"Well basically, what I want to say is that I enjoyed life even though I'm going out like this. There's so many things I want to do, but I guess these things just happen. If you are still out there, I don't want you to feel guilty about not saying anything. But I want you to do me a favour. Tell my parents that I died when my ship, the Minor, sunk, OK? I don't want them to know that I spent my last moments begging for someone to come and save me. I want them to be proud of me."

"So if you're still listening, yeah. Thanks."

"I think I'm into the shoal zone now. God, there's lots of debris here. Can't see whether one's gonna hit me but you never know. Haha. Well I suppose this is goodbye. Just tell my parents that I died on the Minor. The Minor."

The transmission cut out and was replaced with static. The two Zeta Plus C1s lowered their weapons, transformed into MA mode and flew back towards Lohar-1.

Siegfried's C1 tapped Tyan's Re-GZ's wing.

"You can stay here for a while. I'll tell control to expect you back later." He transformed his C1 and followed the other two back to base.

Swallowing hard to keep back his tears, Tyan saluted at Karen as he vowed to complete her request.

-----

_14:21 24th April CY 089_

Wandering down the long corridors of the AEUG barracks, Tyan managed to find his way back to his quarters. At the door, he heard Sieg's voice filter through. It sounded like he was reading out loud again. The habit annoyed Tyan no end, but Sieg's soothing reading voice always made all who listened feel relaxed. Instead of just slamming open the door, as he was originally planning to do, he leaned against the wall and listened.

"Newtypes, although advanced, will face trials that Oldtypes do not face. Their greater integration into their surroundings allows them to feel the pain of others while amplifying theirs. The life of Newtypes will most probably be one marred with tragedy, as did all newly evolved life forms on this planet."

"In a sense I am saddened by this and personally wish that I am wrong. But transition between Oldtypes and Newtypes will not be simple. The only way that a Newtype can survive is, to be strong both physically and mentally in order to overcome the difficulties that they face in life such as the hardships of transition. But ultimately, I believe that even though a Newtype will face these problems again and again, the gain from their empathic abilities will greatly outweigh those hardships. To be with other Newtypes and to share in their pain and their happiness openly will make them stronger, if not then at least no weaker than they were."

Even though Tyan had only read Deikun's famous "Mankind's Frontier" once, he always thought Deikun as a fool regarding the notion of Newtypes as the inheritors of the future; Tyan only has to look at himself to prove that theory wrong. He hated being a Newtype. He never wanted to be a Newtype or as Zeon famously proclaimed "the saviours of mankind". But life is never easy and he supposed that being a Newtype was punishment for his sins.

"Are you gonna stand out there all day or are you going to come into your own room?" Sieg said, opening the door.

Smiling, Tyan walked in and fell straight onto his bunk.

"You and Wiz have been assigned your own private quarters." Sieg sat back down by the desk and picked up the tattered brown covered book.

"Sieg," Tyan said drowsily. Sieg acknowledged with an 'Hm', "I don't think Siegfried's telling us the truth about Lohar-2."

Sieg gave another 'hm'.

"It's just a feeling. It makes you wonder whether the AEUG is as great as Admiral Bell makes them out to be." He flipped over on the bunk to face the wall.

'Hm'.

"I feel sorry for Karen. She sounded so much like Delise. I just wish I knew whether Li is still alive."

Sieg closed the book with a snap and stood up to leave, "I'll let you rest. There's a senior officer's briefing tomorrow at oh-eight hundred hours. Don't be late." As he opened the door, he turned back to Tyan, "Just so you know, Wiz said the same thing this morning. And I agree with both of you."

The door clicked shut, leaving Tyan to his thoughts.

-----

_21:43 24th April CY 089_

Orders were being shouted everywhere on the bridge of the Raw. When you look on the outside, the ship looked no different from the three standard Saradan-Class carriers in Neo Zeon's arsenal. Its distinctive red paint scheme, sleek design and pointed bow had similar designs as the original Gwazine that the Zabis used as their command ships during the One Year War. However, on the inside, the Raw is heavily modified in the sense that its bridge spanned 2 decks, an enlarged mobile suit hangar which could accommodate up to 15-20 mobile suits and increased power output to the standard Saradan-Class. However with this new power meant that the engine size had to be greatly reduced.

That didn't matter to Nicholas Fin. As long as the Raw was able to keep up with Project Angel, none of that would mean anything if Project Angel were destroyed as the Raw was acting as its external brain. But chances of that happening now were near to none. If anyone were to attack Project Angel, they would be facing the wrath of half the Neo Zeon fleet. Comprised of 20 Musai Kai-Class light cruisers, 10 Endra-Class cruisers, 5 Gwanban-Class battleships and 2 Saradan-Class carriers, including the Raw, with over 190 mobile suits. The rest of the fleet comprised of mainly Musai Kai-Class and Endras-Class with the remaining Saradan-Class in command, which has another 200 mobile suits, were following the slow moving Axis asteroid. To the casual observer, this number of military hardware is extremely impressive, but considering that during the One Year War, nearly two-thirds of Zeon's total military power left with the resource rich Axis asteroid, their numbers could have been greater.

Standing over the targeting control officer, Joseph Fin gave very specific instructions to the female officer, trying to make sure that the area of damage was as large as possible. Adun Weich was on the other side of the bridge speaking with the power regulator overseers.

Looking around, Nicholas turned around and walked towards the captain's chair. In it, sat Sophia Cognant. He had always thought that Neo Zeon being lead by a 20-year old was a bad idea, but it didn't matter right now since in the grand scheme of things, it might work to his advantage. Beside her, stood a stern Tai Yang Long, the newly promoted Major who was assigned to be her personal guardian. Since a man of 26 becoming a Major in Zeon military history was practically unheard of, rumours and gossip began to spread around Neo Zeon. Some say that she had fallen for Tai while others say that he's manipulating her. Nicholas knew that the second case wasn't true because he had worked with Tai during the early days of Neo Zeon and found him to be excessively honourable and gentleman like.

_Falling for someone like him might not be good._ Nicholas thought as he approached Sophia.

_Don't worry brother, we'll figure out something._ He heard Joseph's voice in his head.

_We'll see._ He straightened and saluted at the major, "Milady, the Raw and Project Angel will reach the Earth Sphere in three days. And with Axis' current speed, it will enter the Earth Sphere approximately three days after our arrival. I have no doubt that the plan will work."

Sophia smiled at Nicholas' courteous words, "Thank you Nicholas. Please give my thanks to all who made this day possible so soon."

"I will, milady."

"I have a meeting tomorrow with the senior staff on the Jaw," She stood up and motioned to Tai to follow her, "Goodnight everyone."

Nicholas stood to attention and saluted her while shouting, "Her excellency is leaving the bridge!"

The entire bridge crew stopped what they were doing immediately and stood to attention, saluting her while she left.

Once the door to the main bridge closed, Sophia heaved a sigh of relief.

"You shouldn't show so much of your kind side to the troops, Lady Sophia." Tai commented.

Sophia gave him her usual smile and the two of them grabbed hold of the nearest handle on the wall and floated down the tight corridors of the Raw.

After a minute of silence, Tai spoke up, "Lady, may I speak freely?"

She turned around and looked at Tai, puzzled. She had always allowed him to speak freely in front of her ever since she promoted him to major and had him become her personal bodyguard, "What is it?"

"Well," He looked around the walls and saw that there were no cameras or listening devices around and planted his feet down on the ground, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Seeing that he stopped, Sophia landed and walked back to him, "About this mission?"

"No, about those two. The Fins."

"Is this your personal intuition or your Newtype powers talking?" She asked.

Tai looked at her face and realised it was a mistake to have said anything. He dipped his head and tried not to look her in the eye.

"No. It's that I fear for your safety, Lady Sophia. Our records say that they were war orphans but there was nothing else on them. Nothing about their biological parents or their past history before the war." He looked up again and found that she smiling much more radiantly than usual. She took his hands and held them close to her.

"Thank you for worrying about me." Sophia said softly, "But you do not have to worry about those two. I trust them. Like I trust you. Go get some sleep. I know you are tired from taking care of me day in day out. And stop calling me Lady Sophia, just Sophia will do."

"Thank you…Sophia." Tai said, trying to forget the formalities and his concerns regarding her, but the Fins remained him his mind.


	16. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Symphony**

_Come on…_ Marcus' mind edged him on to knock on the door. A small name patch on it read **Major General Thomson** while the rest of the door was covered in a coating to imitate oak. The naval super-carrier Ikari was one of the largest ships on the Earth's oceans. It glided with the waves making the roughest seas seem like ripples in a pond. Marcus hovered his hand just in front of the door, as if waiting for some kind of heavenly sign to allow him to rap his knuckles on it.

Finally working up the courage, he pushed his hand forward but at that moment the door swung open and Marcus was faced with General Thomson himself.

"Oh, goodness!" Thomson said, recoiling in surprise, "Lieutenant Kolin. Marcus, please come in!"

The room was almost identical to that of Thomson's Cape Canaveral office except the huge window behind the desk was covered with a blind.

The sixty-year-old man ushered him into the room and offered a drink. Marcus refused politely. Thomson picked up his pipe from his desk and sunk into his overly large sofa-like chair in the corner of the room. He motioned to Marcus to take a seat opposite him.

"The EUF have agreed to let us keep the GAT Strike. I personally don't know why they are giving us permission since we were the ones who developed it. But I guess that's not the reason that you are here, is it?" Thomson lit his pipe as he eyed the young man in from of him who was obviously uncomfortable despite almost sinking into the sofa when he sat down.

Marcus tried not to look the General in the eye because the only reason he came to see him was to complain. He felt ashamed to do this after everything the General has done for him but he felt this was something he cannot allow to slide.

Swallowing hard, Marcus found the strength to speak, "Why did you assign me out of the Strike, sir?"

The old man smiled and puffed on his pipe. A grey trail of vapour floated gently towards the ceiling.

"Because you are an unknown variable."

"Excuse me, sir?"

Thomson took the pipe out of his mouth and used it to point at Marcus, "I don't know why you are having difficulty understanding. Being a Coordinator in control of our last remaining GAT-Project mobile suit was something that Central Command felt extremely uncomfortable with. With the Strike's Lightning Pack being a crucial component in this operation, you should understand why command had to reassign you back to a Gaplant. I wouldn't complain too much since they're assigning your squad to the new TR-5 Hrairoo versions."

Knowing full well that at this point any argument will be futile since the General brought up Central Command, but Marcus thought he might as well try.

"But surely I've proven my loyalty and skills during my time in space, sir."

"I'm sure you have," Thomson smiled, "But remember that this the Central Command we're talking about. No one there is as open minded as I am. To them you are a Coordinator who might defect at any minute. If you were in their position, wouldn't you do the same? Anyway, what's wrong with the Gaplant? It's one of our most advanced aerial units. I thought you liked the monster?"

The Gaplant was basically a huge flying monster to counter the aerial units that ZAFT had. Armed with two beam cannons it was more than a match for them. The TR-5 version was a more advanced model with higher performance in space, land and air. But for some strange reason, after seeing the Strike Gundam and other GAT project units made Marcus feel that all the broken pieces that were within him were coming together.

"It's not that, sir." Marcus sat up straight to stop him from sinking into the chair any further, "I don't feel that Major Anderson is capable of bringing out the full potential of the Strike."

At this point General Thomson's facial expressions changed from that of a relaxed old man to one of a hardened soldier, "So do you think you can compare yourself to someone who has fought through the One Year War and World War Three? That man has over fifteen years experience in the military. He piloted one of the first mobile suits to come out of production, accounted for over ninety kills throughout his career, have experience of piloting fifteen different machines and lead many teams during that time. Do you think you can compare up to him? I see where I'm going to have to take this. Lieutenant Kolin!"

Marcus literally jumped out of his chair and stood to attention, "YES, SIR!"

"You are a Lieutenant in the Titan military. You are drilled to obey the orders of your superiors, not to question them. Major Anderson has been assigned to the Strike Gundam and you to Gaplant TR-5 Unit 3, is that understood?"

Marcus saluted and shouted another 'Yes, Sir'.

"Dismissed!" Thomson turned and sat back down behind his desk and began doing paperwork, refusing to make eye contact with the startled young man before him.

As soon as Marcus left the room, Thomson dropped his pen and leaned back in the huge chair nailed to the floor. He removed his cap and wiped the droplets of perspiration from his brow with his handkerchief. He stood up and opened the blinds on the windows behind him. Staring out into the azure ocean, Thomson heaved a sigh.

"You're too much like your mother. I would like to help you, Marcus, but my hands are tied."

-----

Standing outside the office, Marcus' fingernails dug into his palm as he tried to calm his anger. He had no right to argue with the General like that. It was unlike him to ever question an order but giving up the Strike was something that he did not want to do. It felt like giving up a piece of his soul.

"Yo." The casual voice directly beside Marcus scared the hell out of him. It was just Tano, with Orphen slightly further down the hallway.

"What do you two want?" Marcus had half a mind to give Tano a good beating for that, but calmed himself before he did anything rash.

Draping his arm around Marcus, Tano pulled the slightly taller young man towards Orphen, "Let's go get lunch. I'm hungry. You're buying."

"What? Why?"

Smiling lecherously, Tano whispered into his ear, "Because all Coordinators sicken me." And pushed him into Orphen, "You got to spend some time with that beautiful girl. Wish I got some lone time with her. I'd have shown her a better time than you. Bet you never touched her once, did you?"

"She's seventeen and underage!" Marcus shrugged off the first comment, believing he misheard.

"A loli!" Tano shouted swinging his arm around Marcus' shoulder again, "Well, not quite, but still, perfect! Be a tight fit, but I think I can loosen her up. Right, Orphen?"

Orphen remained silent but nodded in reply. Marcus always thought that Orphen and Tano were complete opposites. He had no clue what past the two of them must have shared but it must have been something close, like childhood friends.

Orphen nor Tano have ever told him that the two of them were enhanced humans with no memory of their own history before the augmentation operation. If Marcus had asked, they would have said the information was classified. That in itself isn't a lie as both Tano and Orphen have been told that their memories were sealed and classified to prevent information leaks, but in truth, those memories were lost as soon as they were placed down on the operating table.

-----

"This is Timra One to Home. Timra One to Home, please respond."

"Thi – ome Tim – Repe – mission."

The ZAFT pilot fingers ran over the communications control panel, trying to get a better signal. There was only one thing that can jam communications this badly, Minovsky Particles.The only time someone would broadcast at this density and radii was when there is going to be an attack.

"This is Timra One to Home. Please respond Home."

No answer. The pilot's Long Range Reconnaissance Type GINN skimmed along the ocean's surface about 10km away from Perth. He unloaded the sniper rifle from the back of the GINN and lined up its sights towards the horizon. There have been reports that the Titan 2nd Naval Fleet had left Port Louis in the Indian Ocean and met up with the 8th and 32nd Mobile Divisions on the 5th Naval Fleet which was also heading towards Australia.

The three of the four **_Vosgulov_**-Class submarines that were assigned to the Indian Ocean area were sunk in the space of less than a week and the final one was ordered back to Perth. With the Tehran Agreement in place to remove the spy satellite network around the planet, which was in the past used to direct nuclear missiles, it made it impossible to track the Titan Fleet.

Scanning the horizon, the pilot held his breath wishing that he would find nothing unusual. He was right, just waves and a migrating flock of birds. Flipping through the frequencies again, he tried to contact Perth base again but only got back static.

"There's gotta be something out there…"

The last thing the pilot saw was a blinding flash of light travelling directly at him. The beam pierced the sniper rifle's barrel and vaporised the top half of the pilot's body before he even knew what was going on. The GINN fell backwards and began to tumble across the ocean, flinging its parts everywhere before exploding.

"You missed the engine." A female voice berated.

"I got the SOB, didn't I?" A male pilot responded sulkily.

"Two laps around Perth Base after the operation."

"Alright, alright." The man eyed the bulky sapphire unit as it pushed away from his cobalt blue mobile suit. He couldn't help but whistle at its unassisted flight abilities, but all things considered, he loved his beam smartgun a lot more.

-----

"This baby's all loaded and ready to go." A mechanic climbed over to the cockpit hatch of the white Gaplant, "You sure you'll be OK with this thing? I heard it could be quite rough at sub-sonic speeds."

"I'll be fine. It's not something you should concerned yourself with." Marcus replied without looking over the computer control panel. His mind still dwelled upon the Strike.

"Alright. It's not like I care about the pilot." The mechanic muttered under his breath. Annoyed at the young man's rudeness, he left to check up on the two other Gaplants.

Rubbing his bloodshot eyes, Marcus tried to put the Strike out of his mind by rewriting the basic preferences and controls for the Gaplant TR-5 to suit him. However something in his mind continuously nagged him to at least go have a last look before the start of Operation Viola. Sitting there idly, he tried to think of scenarios in which he can get back into the cockpit of the Strike. Out of the hundreds his mind processed, only one seemed plausible: Major Anderson had to be critically injured or killed.

"Odds of that happening are practically nonexistent." He murmured.

Pushing back the flat-screen monitor, he jumped out of the dark cockpit and slid down the metallic walkway.

-----

To Marcus, the Lightning Strike Pack looked odd when compared with Aile Strike Pack. First was the extra chest extension, with what seemed like an added cockpit on the already protruding chest armour; then it was the large shoulders that looked as if it made manoeuvring difficult; and finally it was the huge electromagnetic cannon standing beside the mobile suit. Marcus only saw the cannon in its separate configuration, but when integrated, the thing was huge.

"Hey, kid! What are you doing in this hangar section?"

Marcus turns around to see a heavily bearded man dressed in the Titan pilot suit march towards him. As he got closer, Marcus noticed the pips on his neck denoting the rank of Major.

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Marcus Kolin!" He saluted.

Major Anderson waved off the salute, "At ease. I don't like people who's piloted good mobile suits and survived treat at me as a superior officer."

"Yes, sir."

The seemingly astute man had a good look at Marcus' thin frame and shook his head. He walked over to the Strike's leg and patted the machine, "She is a beauty, don't you agree?"

"Yes, sir!"

Rubbing his brown bushy beard, Anderson made his way back to Marcus and patted him on the shoulder so hard that it he felt weak at the knees.

"Good strength." Anderson commented and then threw a punch at Marcus.

He fell to the floor with his head spinning. Anderson offered him a hand and Marcus took it.

"Guess your parents didn't give you high agility." He laughed and dusted Marcus down, "I'm sorry, but I had to see what kind of a lad you are."

"No problems, sir."

Folding his arms, Anderson stared back at the Strike Gundam in awe of the machine's beauty and simple frame.

"You came back to bid farewell to a friend, yes?"

Marcus looked down and stared at the floor without replying.

"If I go down," Anderson poked his tongue out and licked his chaffed lips, "I want you to come back and take over this machine. Is that understood?"

"Excuse me, sir?" Marcus looked up again in shock. Anderson was looking back at him with a grin on his face, "But why, sir?"

"Dunno." Anderson ran his hands through his beard again and picking out what seemed to be a small clump of facial hair, "Partly because I don't care that you're a Coordinator. I've seen the reports on your performance and personally I expected you to be beefier than this."

With the pain in the cheek becoming a sort of numbness, Marcus smiled.

"You see, all the pics in the documentation show that you have this serious problem about smiling. It's good to see a kid your age smile. Loosen up!" Anderson patted Marcus on the shoulder, "I'll take good care of the Strike. I promise."

-----

"Alright, I'll make a final conformation of the plan." It was rare to see Tano's stern side, but since he had to become a temporary team leader, Marcus found that the lewd man could become serious once in a while. Marcus carried on doing the final checks on the Gaplant while listening to Tano's voice on the video comm. channel on the viewscreen.

"Our target is the Kwinana Port." A map appeared where Tano used to be and an arrow showed their flight path, "We're team three. After the firing of the EM cannon and initial missile barrage, we will be charging in with Teams four and six. Teams two, eight and nine will focus on the Rottnest Island defences while Teams one, five and seven take out the missile batteries on Garden Island. Teams ten to sixteen will be taking on the task of fleet defence and general reinforcements. Each team, apart from ours, consists of four mobile suits and a team will retreat if it loses two members."

The sound of paper over the comm. meant that Tano didn't memorise the mission brief, something that he was supposed to do the night before.

"Our team with teams four and six will charge straight into the Kwinana Port area while the other teams distract the enemy defences at Rottnest and Garden, yes. Once there, we are to proceed to point three-five, team four to points two-nine and team six to eight-three. Our orders are to eliminate all resistance be it mobile suits, mobile vehicles or infantry and destroy the main hangar area and control tower. After our main objective is complete, we will be joined by another squad already in Perth."

"That it?" Orphen asked, his voice still as unemotional as ever.

Tano's face reappeared on the monitor. He rustled through the pages, "That's it. Alright, the operation starts in one hour when Perth enters the range of the EM Cannon."

Something in Marcus' stomach felt uneasy about this. This was only his second major operation since the Bloody Valentine incident and would seem daunting to any seventeen-year-old. A tweeting behind his seat made him jump. Reaching back, he rustled around the wires only to find his mechanical bird, Torri, had managed to tangle itself into the vast amount of cables. No wonder he hasn't seen it around the ship for the past few days.

_At least I'll have Ryan here with me._

-----

The monitors and control panels lit up the cockpit of the Strike Gundam like a Christmas tree, which delighted Major Anderson to no end. Even though he was a seasoned veteran, his mind remained that of a teenager in a metaphorical sense. A womaniser, lover of shiny things and holds deep respect for anyone willing to make a fool out of a superior officer, just as long as it wasn't him. Because of that he was the most respected and loved officer of the whole Titan military.

"ATL sequencer connections complete." He reported to the control room while the grey Strike Gundam knelt on the flight deck of the Ikari with wires protruding from its back, "Hausen capacitors charged. BUS report that all software systems are functioning. KP links joined and flowing. I think we're ready to go, General Thomson."

From the main bridge, Thomson lowered his binoculars and gazed at the tiny buildings on the horizon. From this distance, the ZAFT base must have noticed the Titan fleet and dispatched mobile suits to intercept them. If he doesn't give the order now to fire, he might not have another chance to do so. Picking up his headset, General Thomson ordered the comm. officer to patch him through to the Strike.

"Major, you have a go for the operation."

"Thank you, sir!" Anderson switched off the comm. system to concentrate, "Alright, let's do this."

The Strike Gundam's grey shading gradually faded and was replaced by the standard white, red and blue colour scheme. Reaching for the electromagnetic cannon, the Strike walked forwards towards the end of the flight deck. Anderson held his breath as each footstep made his insides shudder.

_Wow, this baby handles so well._

Choosing the target, the Strike raised the cannon to its chest and pointed it towards Perth. At this point, there were a few dots appearing in the skies above the distant city; ZAFT were launching their mobile suits.

"OK, just a few more adjustments…" He watched the small targeting sensor line up slowly with his minute manual adjustments, "Right, that's it."

Locking the final pieces of controls, he reopened the comm. channel to the control room.

"This is Strike One, fire one!"

A burst of energy sprouted forth from the small barrel of the electromagnetic cannon. The energy blast was visible to the human eye as a huge burst of what seemed like bolts of electricity.

"This is Anderson, power output nominal. Strafing to sector B."

Pushing his right hand control, the Strike Gundam slowly pivoted around while maintaining the blast.

"Alright, this is cool." Anderson smiled, "Can't wait to test this further. Wait, what? Control, I'm reading a spike in the energy output. Can you confirm?"

After a moments pause, a voice screamed back, "MAJOR! SHUT DOWN THE CANNON! NOW! THAT'S AN ORDER!"

Without pausing to reflect what he had been asked to do, Anderson cut all power to the cannon, but it was already too late. A huge blast of electromagnetic energy pulsed through the cables connecting the ship to the Strike. The electricity inside the cockpit struck the major at full force.

All the lights inside the cockpit dimmed and the smell of charred human flesh hung in the air.

-----

Leaping over several pieces of fallen equipment from the electrical overload. Upon hearing about the accident, Marcus instinctively leapt out of his Gaplant and sprinted towards the secondary MS bay of the Ikari.

Turning the corner, he found the floor was littered with debris and brown blobs. He picked one piece up with his gloved hand and felt the sponginess of the substance but dropped it to the floor immediately when he realised he was looking at human flesh.

The door to the secondary MS hangar bay opened to reveal a scene of utter chaos and cacophony of noise. It looked like someone gave a group of hooligans a crate of spray paint and told them to have fun. Black streaks ran across the walls, floor and ceiling while the generator used to power the electromagnetic cannon for the continuous blast was melted and smouldering on the far side of the hangar. Thankfully the Strike Gundam, which has already been switched from the Lightning pack to the Aile pack, sat with its legs straight out and without a scratch on it.

Running over to the grey machine, Marcus notices a splattering of vomit on the Gundam's crotch area. Ignoring it, he clambered up the side of the Gundam and tumbled into the cockpit. Upon entry, he promptly scrambled out and vomited onto the Gundam's crotch. The stench of burning was still inside the cockpit. To him, it smelt like overcooked meat but it only took him a second to remember that Major Anderson was the last person to be in there.

"Aw, come on!" A mechanic at the Gundam's side shouted, "Get it together, man! You're launching with the rest of the teams. They're prepping the missiles for launch in T-Minus 30. Here, I got some air fresheners for you."

He tossed up a can marked 'Febreeze: Spring Fresh' up to Marcus. Upon catching it, he emptied the entire can into the cockpit, but it only made it slightly more bearable. Suddenly, the entire hangar shook. A loud whooshing sound could be heard from the opening in the ceiling above Marcus.

"Damn, they're launching the missiles!"

Trying desperately to ignore the smell, Marcus dived back into the cockpit and buckled himself in. He slammed his helmet back on and contacted the Ikari's control tower.

"This is Lieutenant Kolin in the Aile Strike Gundam. Do I have a go for launch?"

-----

On the bridge of the Ikari, the commanding officers gathered around the 3D display of the theatre of operations.

"We can't let that Coordinator in that machine! Just because Anderson's dead doesn't mean we don't have better candidates!" A Colonel shouted above the din.

"Why not?" Thomson protested, "He's the most experienced pilot we have for the Strike."

"We can't have that thing defecting over to the enemy side with our most advanced machine." An Admiral argued.

"We don't know what he's going to do out there. He's a loose cannon as far as I'm concerned."

"It's an order from Central Command. Their orders are absolute!"

"He's only seventeen. How do we expect a child to go fighting out there? I bet he'll run back home to his mummy."

Thomson smashed his fist into the 3D display table, "ENOUGH!" The entire bridge went silent.

"I don't even know why I'm having this argument here. I outrank you all! Lieutenant Kolin will be the replacement for Major Anderson!"

"Sir." One of the bridge operators said timidly, intimidated by the old man's outburst.

"What?" Thomson snapped at the ensign.

"Lieutenant Kolin is requesting permission to launch. Your orders, General Thomson?"

Hobbling over to the operator, General Thomson took the operator's headset.

"Marcus, you have permission to launch the Aile Strike Gundam. Your mission orders remain the same." He swung his head back and saw the other commanding officers shaking their heads. Shaking his own head in disgust he brought the microphone up to his face again, "And God speed."

"Thank you, sir."

-----

Picking himself up off the floor, General Bertrand surveyed the damage to the main coordination room. Generally things didn't look so bad but there were several control consoles that were fizzing and a small fire in the back of the room, which an officer was putting out with a fire extinguisher.

"What's our combat status?" He asked to no one in particular.

"Reports coming in of heavy damage to the port area due to missile strikes. The electromagnetic blast earlier took out most equipment on the surface." An officer sitting just below a huge topographic display of the Perth city answered, "Underground equipment report to be ninety percent functioning. Our combat ability has been reduced by forty percent but that is limited to the naval area. Mobile suit companies report that thirty-six of the eighty mobile suits in the base, on the ships and the submarine Yugo are either destroyed during the initial firing or had their systems fried. Mobile vehicles are 50 active. We have yet to receive word on the island defences on Garden and Rottnest."

Dusting off his cap, General Bertrand was faced with dilemma. Either to continue fighting with at this reduced capacity and hope that their Coordinator abilities win out, but then face another possible barrage of electromagnetic blast. Or retreat and thus give the Titans a foothold in Australia, something ZAFT had worked so hard to get rid of.

"General, we can't win this fight. The Titan Second Fleet had been visually sited and are launching mobile suits." A Colonel beside him placed his hand on his shoulder, "Rough count suggest over seventy with around fifty moving towards us with hovercrafts. I know this will be hard for you but we can save the most lives if we begin evacuation procedures now."

Bertrand bit his lip. He should have anticipated this scenario when he heard that the Vosgulov submarines in the Indian Oceans had been sunk.

"Sir! Onslow and Northampton bases are also being attacked. It's the Titan forth and fifth fleets!"

Bertrand's eyes widened as he realised the scope of battle.

_They don't want just a foothold, they're going out for an all out invasion!_

Swallowing his pride, he picked up the PA receiver, "This General Bertrand to all personnel. Begin evacuation procedures. All personnel follow code C. This is not a drill. All personnel evacuate the base. Follow code C."

Putting down the receiver, the dishevelled man turned to his staff, "Make sure that our remaining mobile suits cover our escape. Make sure that all essential documentation are destroyed before moving to the escape route to Southern Cross city. If the people on Garden and Rottnest Islands can't evacuate in time, tell them to surrender."

The staff saluted and hurriedly began the systematic purge of the computer systems.

-----

"They're doing what?!" Jack Murphy's purple GINN High Manoeuvre Type kicked a Barzam off its Base Jabber aided flight system and watched it fall to the ground before firing dashing down and filling the Barzam's chest with its heavy sword mounted on an assault rifle.

Hearing a clunk behind him, Jack turned the rifle to shooting mode and pointed it at his assailant's head. It turned out to be another concrete grey GINN.

"Sir," The GINN put its hand onto Jack's MS, "We're to cover the evacuation of the base. If anyone is unable to get out they are to go to the shelters and surrender."

"Alright." Jack examined the immediate area. Small craters were littered everywhere on the main harbour had been wiped out. The ZAFT warships were either sunk or abandoned while the Yugo, the last of the Vosgulov subs, had its hull blown open by three direct hits. Escape by sea was now impossible.

"Make a line at hangar three, four and five. I want as many mobile suits and armoured vehicles to provide constant barrage of fire so they can't land boats or mobile suits. And – Get down!"

Jack's GINN plunged forwards, pushing the other GINN to the ground just in time to avoid a beam. Uprighting himself, Jack looked up at the sky only to see the silhouette of a bird like mobile suit with two wing like shields mounted on its arms.

"Relay my idea to the Captain. He'll agree with me. Now get going before things get ugly."

"But, sir!" The pilot protested but Jack raised his GINN's arm in the 'talk to the hand' fashion and the other GINN boosted farther inland.

_Gaplant. No, new model Gaplant. Probably the same people who attacked Jenius Seven. Looks like a good chance for me to get even._

With Perth's civilians evacuated to shelters, Jack's GINN skid along the road backwards, leading the Gaplant into the depths of the concrete and glass jungle.

-----

"I see it. Sending you the target data." In the distance was the Perth main base. Marcus, Tano and Orphen had to move around the Swan River residential block to avoid heavy anti-air shelling from Garden Island. Leaving Orphen behind to deal with resistance at Swan River, Marcus and Tano continued on with their mission to take out targets in the base.

Set on maximum magnification, the blurred image of men in jeeps and mobile suits starting up sent a chill down Marcus' spine. Can he really do this? Can he really pull the trigger and end the lives of fellow Coordinators, people just like Ryan? He shook his head hard and rationalised his position. They killed his parents, the only people to have loved him. For that he wiped out 250,000, what's another 50 or so? He was trained to do this.

"Tano, you take control section one and I'll take two."

Tano's Gaplant's monoeye slid around to look at the Strike Gundam and glowed in acknowledgement.

Taking a deep breath Marcus edged his finger towards the trigger for the beam rifle. In the magnified image, two DINN mobile suits stood up and began shooting at the incoming Strike. Drawing a bead on the nearest one, Marcus pulled a clean shot into its abdomen. The resulting explosion caused shrapnel to fly in all directions. One piece blasted into the other DINN's monoeye. Its pilot, obviously an inexperienced rookie, began shooting wildly. Marcus drew the beam sabre from the Strike's backpack and landed the Strike not far away from the panicking DINN, the particle fountain generated by the hilt formed a pointed cylinder of pink light.

The ZAFT pilot must heard the clunk of metal on concrete, pointed his rifle and continued to fire barrages of bullets at the Strike. Unknown to him, every one of his bullets just bounced off the phase-shift armour, not even slowing down the Strike. Clenching his teeth, Marcus thrust the beam sabre into the cockpit. The DINN's rifle continued to fire despite its pilot was turned into ash. It fell to its knees and smoke belched forth from the engine module on its back.

Looking around, Marcus saw his target: the main control tower for the coordination of mobile suit teams. Putting the beam sabre back into the backpack, Marcus took out his beam rifle and took aim. A sudden explosion on the Strike's torso knocked it sideways into a building. Frustrated, Marcus quickly found the annoyance. Three ZAFT soldiers armed with bazookas.

"Idiots."

Standing up, he boosted the Strike up into the air and landed straight back down on the soldiers. Two managed to escape, but the third was too slow and found himself crushed under the Strike's right foot. Forgetting about how the men on the ground were like Ryan, Marcus started up the Strike's head mounted Igelstellung cannons and fired at one of the men. He immediately disappeared under a hail of dust and debris. Turning the head, the bullets eventually reached the other fleeing soldier. A bullet struck him in the back and he exploded in a flurry of blood and internal organs.

Bringing his attention back to his intended target, the Strike took aim again. On a smaller window on his viewscreen, Marcus saw the ZAFT officers trying desperately to get through the small door leading to stairs down to the bottom of the tower. Instead of aiming for the top, he fired a beam into base of the tower. The beam melted through the concrete like a hot knife on butter and the tower crumbled.

"Oh SHIT!" Tano's voice yelled over the radio.

Marcus glanced around and saw Tano's Gaplant and a Barzam from team four darting towards him.

"What is it?"

"That." Tano's Gaplant pointed behind him. A small swarm of DINNs, GINNs and a few CGUEs were heading towards them at full speed.

-----

Jack's GINN had managed to get hold of Orphen's Gaplant and refused to let go. Continuously pushing his controls back and forth, the High Mobility GINN pummelled Orphen's shoulder mounted beam cannon on its right arm repeatedly, rendering it completely useless. The two mobile suits zoomed above the Perth City and Swan River like bees.

"Give it up, Titan, you don't stand a chance." Jack shouted. Skin-talk was when two mobile suits are in physical contact and sound waves can travel between the vibrations of the metal. Pilots in normal suits often do this by touching their helmets together when their radios are broken or jammed by Minovsky particles. So without knowing the enemy's comm. frequency, Jack still knew the pilot heard him.

Orphen, who was concentrating on other things, didn't hear Jack's comment. Deciding on a plan quickly, he suddenly accelerated upwards, stopped and plummeted down towards the river.

Believing that the pilot of the blue and white Gaplant was a madman and knowing that GINN's can't operate at full capacity underwater, Jack pushed off and boosted towards dry land.

Seeing that his hitchhiker had gone, Orphen transformed the Gaplant into mobile armour mode and reversed the downward thrust, stopping only two meters from the water. Spinning around on the spot, Orphen pulled off a shot towards the GINN with the remaining beam cannon. Jack avoided the shot with ease as it took a bite out of the office block he had landed on.

-----

"Oh, this is going to be interesting." Jack licked his lips and fired a volley at the mobile armour before jumping into the city again.

-----

_He's using the city as cover again._ Orphen's mind moaned. That's how the GINN managed to get onto his Gaplants back in the first place. While searching the city for the ZAFT mobile suit, Orphen had forgotten the first rule of urban combat: never go in without some form of backup. The enemy will always invariably knew the terrain better than you do and have set traps for you. The GINN had leapt from the top of a building and landed squarely on the Gaplant, the force of the crash nearly snapped Orphen seatbelts.

Orphen flew over the city, peering down at each street looking for the GINN. A volley of bullets flew up from behind him and struck his engines. In a plume of smoke, the Gaplant went down into the city, transforming into mobile suit mode before landing. Orphen scanned the unfamiliar landscape with caution. Jack's GINN had downed him in an area filled with skyscrapers, making it impossible to see over the high raised buildings with his 25 meter mobile suit.

A large drone of ZAFT engines passed overhead towards the Kwinana Port. Thanking god that he wasn't in the air when they came but at the same time, he worried about Tano and Marcus.

_Those two can handle themselves. Now for this SOB._

As he passed a building with reflective windows a flash of purple caught his eye. Diving the Gaplant down to the ground he managed to avoid a hail of bullets from Jack's GINN. The shells slammed into the windows and smashed them into millions of pieces that fell on the Gaplant like snow. Spinning the Gaplant around before it hit the ground, Tano fired a shot from his beam rifle in the general direction of the GINN. It missed and burned its way through several buildings before dissipating.

_Where the hell is he?_

Instinctively, he drew the beam sabre as the Gaplant stood up and swung it around just in time to lock it with the High Mobility GINN's heavy sword mounted on the assault rifle. Orphen boosted his mobile suit back into a tower block and used it to push himself towards the GINN at full speed. Jack, on the other hand, stood firm and fired a volley of bullets at the oncoming Gaplant before sliding to the right and slashing upwards.

Orphen's left beam rifle and shoulder engine sparked with electricity before exploding, sending the damaged mobile suit into the side of a building. Struggling with the controls, Orphen realised that the entire right arm and engine was wedged inside the building, making it impossible to move. Firing the thrusters to maximum only succeeded to melt the concrete and increase the strength of the hold. He watched as the purple GINN walk closer, its assault rifle's heavy sword glinted in the afternoon sun.

-----

Jack smiled as he approached the once imposing Gaplant. He still can't believe how easy it was to take the thing down but now it was time to end the fight and rejoin the retreating forces.

He raised the sword, ready to slice into the cockpit of his enemy. He had never wanted to kill as a profession since he was once a teacher of physics on Maius 3 but ever since he lost his girlfriend, an agricultural expert, on Jenius 7 he had been hell bent on revenge. He had seen intelligence images of the attackers on Jenius 7 before and etched the shape of his nemesis into his mind forever. Now he has a chance to end one of the attacker's lives and this was something that he was not going to pass up.

Standing over the Gaplant, Jack raised the assault rifle above the GINN's head, ready to strike.

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

Jack snapped his head around to the beeping sound and jumped the GINN backwards. A sudden blast of beam energy drew a line on the road between him and the Gaplant. Responding to a second type of beeping, he boosted his GINN into the air and avoided another beam aimed at where he was.

"Tsk!" Jack regretted not finishing things earlier as he retreated behind the cover of the tall buildings and ran off towards the edges of the city, hoping to rejoin the evacuees. But he knew he would have this chance again.

_Good things come to those who wait_.

-----

Yanking the trapped arm free, Orphen breathed a sigh of relief. He had never been so exhausted in his entire life. As the Gaplant struggled to stand up, for the last time for that day he hoped, an unknown mobile suit type landed directly in front of him. He raised his remaining beam sabre with the right arm and used the left as to shield the Gaplant's body. The new mobile suit was cobalt blue with a much more rounded and circular design to the Gaplant. It was at least 5 meters shorter than the Gaplant itself while armed with an long beam cannon and what looked like an extra sensor panel mounted on the unit's left shoulder. It's head was designed with the German World War II helmet design, similar to other Titan and Zeon designs, while its glowing green monoeye slid between the three pronged visor.

"Yo," The pilot said to Orphen through the comm. "It's cool man. I'm on your side. I think you should thank me for driving away that crazy dude."

Orphen ignored his words.

"Calm down, mate! I'm on your side." The man said again, "I'm Lieutenant Second Class Paul Fabriga. Titan Ninth Independent Mobile Squad, Ghost Team. Please tell me you're not so green that you have never heard of the Ghost Team. What do you think of this Xeku? Some piece of equipment, eh?"

-----

Standing back to back, the Strike Gundam, Tano's Gaplant TR-5 and a Barzam from the forth squad aimed at the twelve ZAFT mobile suits surrounding them on the ground and in the sky above. They were like wolves waiting to strike and vultures waiting to finish off any scraps. The Gaplant and Barzam had emptied their ranged weapons and were down to using beam sabres while Strike's beam rifle was knocked out of its hand by a stray missile. Marcus glanced at the energy meter, it was critically low and any more hits would mean the Phase Shift Armour would shut down.

"Any ideas?" The Barzam's pilot asked. His voice was shaking.

The best option, it seemed, was to self destruct and take out as many of the enemy suits as they can but he couldn't see Tano or the other pilot going through this. All other plans would result in their deaths anyway.

There was a loud clunk and Marcus saw the Gaplant's hand on the Strike's shoulder.

"I have a plan," Tano seemed to be whispering so Marcus had to strain his ears to hear him, "I'll kick the Barzam towards the GINNs. You then take out what's on the ground and I'll take out the ones in the sky."

Marcus wanted to palm his face, "Look, if we are to sacrifice the Barzam, which we are not, it wouldn't make any difference. We'll be long dead before we can do anything else."

He heard Tano heave a sigh. Even though Tano was the leader of the team, he trusted Marcus to make the correct analysis during battles.

But this was a hopeless situation. Team four only had this Barzam left and team six was preoccupied elsewhere meaning there was no chance of reinforcements.

_Maybe it's time for me to die and pay for my sins…_

There were several loud booms above the group. As the three looked up, the lavender DINNs that were circling above them seemed to have all exploded into balls of fire. Marcus, seeing that the ground mobile suits were also looking up, took the opportunity to charge the nearest GINN, slicing it in half horizontally with its beam sabre. Tano and the other Barzam follow Marcus' example and charged the other five GINNs, flinging dust and dirt into the air and coving the entire area. Once the dust settled, only the Titan mobile suits remained standing.

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Kolin, Hagane and Timpe," A female voice said over the comm. "You all need to work on your teamwork skills."

The three of them looked around for the voice and saw a mobile suit hanging in the sky with its arms folded. It looked huge compared than the three of theirs, its sapphire armour, huge shoulder engines and a shield behind its head made it look more like a small mobile armour rather than a mobile suit. A small flash of a gold 'V' on its forehead made Marcus realise this was a Gundam design. Not GAT-Project, but a Gundam design nonetheless. The mobile suit registry on their internal computers simply read "HAZEL".

Using its shoulder boosters to descend slowly, the mobile suit landed on the destroyed body of a GINN, crushing the head and cockpit area with its massive weight.

"Captain Alice Kline. Ninth Independent Mobile Squad. I believe that both Tano and Marcus will be joining me. Lieutenant Timpe, you may return to base. There's a pickup at point Zero-three."

The Barzam saluted and stomped away towards the harbour area.

The Gundam eyed the Strike and the Gaplant before turning around, "I'll be your new commanding officer from now. Follow me you two."

-----

Stepping into a caved in section of an underground roadway, Marcus gripped his submachine gun tightly. He knew that there was no risk as the group of marine had already secured the prisoners ahead of them but he still felt uneasy. Maybe it was coming from this Captain Kline. She had a fine figure for a woman in her thirties but the harsh expression she constantly has on her face hid any sign of kindness that might reside within her heart.

Walking around the corner, Marcus woke up from his fascination with his new squad leader. A large group of ZAFT soldiers and officers were huddled together with their backs to a wall. At first glance, it looked like someone had painted road markings on the concrete, but a severed arm protruding from underneath the wall made him cringe.

The whole cavern was silent apart from the sound of a child faint sobbing. Marcus followed Captain Klein as she walked up to the group of Coordinators and ordered the Titan marines to bring her the child. After a small struggle, the men brought back a girl no older than seven-years-old. Her clothes were dirty and ripped while her blond hair stained with blood. The female officer holding the girl begged as the marines took her away.

"Please, you have nothing against her! Please be merciful to her! She's a Natural! She's not part of this war! I found her as a war orphan, she's not a Coordinator!"

Klein knelt down and brushed her auburn hair out from her eyes. As she gazed at the small girl Marcus saw the harsh expression disappear from her face and was replaced with a motherly smile.

"It's alright." She said to the girl, wiping some dust and grim from the girl's pretty face, "You don't have to be afraid anymore."

She gazed back into the Captain's eyes and stopped crying, "I want to go back to my mummy."

Klein wrapped her arms around the girl and pressed her into her bosom before turning her around to face the ZAFT personnel. She leaned over the girl's shoulder and whispered, "Don't worry, you will be joining your mum soon. You won't have to suffer living with a Coordinator family anymore."

With that, she took the girl's head and twisted. There was a chilling snapping noise and she fell to the floor. The female officer screamed as the other ZAFT personnel held her back.

Turning around to the Titan marines and pilots, she ordered, "Shoot them."

The sound of gunfire echoed around the cave as Captain Klein looked down on Marcus. He was in shock and haven't fired a single shot. She pressed down on his shoulder firmly.

"I expect you to empty at least two clips, Coordinator. I will be waiting outside." She said and walked on.

-----

"So the Titans have a foothold in Australia." Major Dena Nadist pondered to herself as she read the latest reports of the battle.

_Kings, you have no idea do you?_ She thought, smirking. She knew she couldn't be smug that all the cogs have been put together since she still needs one thing to start the machine. But still, she could not believe how perfectly things have gone.

The bell on her door sounded.

She wiped the smile from her face before saying, "Enter."

The door slid open and Ryan, in the ZAFT Special Forces red uniform, stepped in. He saluted and stood to attention.

"I hope your R and R haven't dulled your body or mind." Dena gave him her usual condescending smile that Ryan knew too well. He didn't react.

"Well," She said leaning over to pick up a piece of paper from her desk, "I have some good news and bad news. The bad news is that you have been reassigned."

Ryan showed no reaction, but Dena knew he was shaken up inside.

"Lieutenants Hidasaki, Hajima and Oria are being transferred to Australia to push back the Titan advancement. But the good news is that you are being assigned back to the PLANTs. You'll be taking the Aegis with you."

At this point, Ryan couldn't hold back any more.

"WHY?!" He slammed both hands down on Dena's desk, "Is this because I spent a night with the enemy on an island? My Aegis can help them take back Australia!"

"I don't particularly care for your opinion, Lieutenant Steigen." Dena answered ignoring the insubordination, "You leave tonight."

She tossed the piece of paper towards him. The document was signed 'William Steigen", Ryan's father. A reassignment order would usually be signed by the commanding officer but not by the highest ranked General of the ZAFT military.

Snatching the orders up, Ryan saluted and left.

-----

Vivian and Ryan's lips met inside their room that evening. Their clothes were all packed into separate bags sitting in the corner while the two of them gazed at each other silently, memorising what the other looked like. They kissed again but this time Ryan pushed her away.

"What's wrong?" Vivian saw Ryan put his face into his hands, "Is it Marcus again?"

Ryan smiled at how well that he and Vivian now knows each other, "There's something that I've not told you about him. And if I don't tell you now, I'm not sure whether I'll be able to tell anyone in the future."

"Go on."

"Do you remember that I told you about how he had to go on the run after our agents found his family despite them going into hiding on another colony? Only my grandma and my father know the truth."

Vivian put her arms around him. Her warmth gave him the courage to carry on.

"I looked up to my father as if he was a god back then. His work meant that he rarely visited me, and during the times he did visit, he was always cold towards my grandma and me. But I still revered him. Only grandma and I knew where Marcus and his family were hiding when they tried to escape ZAFT. When my father asked me where they were, I just told him everything."

"All because of my selfishness, I made Marcus into what he is today. God, why did I do that back then? I'm the cause of all of Marcus' pain and misery today." He sobbed. Vivian pulled him towards her and placed her head on top of his, holding him close as he cried.

"It's alright. We can't change what we did. I'm sure that guy wouldn't blame you."

Taking a deep breath, Ryan wiped the tears from his face, "Maybe."

He wanted to remain in her arms forever.

------

------

Author's Note

In reality the heavy swords should be pretty much useless against a beam sabre since particle vs. metal usually results in melted metal. But for the sake of this fanfic, let's assume that heavy swords are beam coated or something since it makes for better reading. Sorry to all you readers who demand technological accuracy.


	17. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Curtain's Rise**

"GAH!"

Strass on the Karaba kitchen floor with the top half of his body covered in purple powder when Syuu walked in.

"What are you doing?"

Strass tried to answer but as soon as he opened his mouth, he sucked in a large amount of powder, which sent him into a coughing fit.

"Help me…!" He yelped in between throaty coughs.

Seeing his fellow pilot writhing on the floor, Syuu felt only one emotion: joy. It was about time the loud mouthed and bad mannered clown got what was coming to him. He knelt beside the choking teenager and rubbed his finger along his cheek.

"Powdered paint," Syuu said, examining the purple substance, "Shame that it's not toxic, but it does dye everything except skin. You weren't trying to raid the pantry for food, were you?"

Strass ignored the question. He had stopped choking but now his eyes were watering uncontrollably. He managed to mouth the words help me' again but Syuu kept his indifferent expression.

"I don't know. I think I'll pass on that."

"What the hell…?!"

Syuu walked over to the jarred pantry door, took out two tins of canned peaches and walked back over to Strass, placing one tin by his side. He then moved his hand slowly along the wall and then yanking hard on a hidden wire. It exposed a pulley system hidden behind a system of strategically placed mirrors. Strass watched in awe as Syuu continued to dismantle the trap until all was left was the wire and pulleys.

Retrieving the small tools and gadgets from the trap, he knelt beside Strass again and said, "You're not the only one who's been raiding this pantry. So since we are partners in crime, there's an ancient proverb you should always remember: The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

-----

_Several days later_

-----

Classical music provided a nice working environment for James Harris especially when the task was a simple patrol. He pressed a button on the right hand control panel and a live map of the entire area was displayed in front of him. The first thing he noticed was a three-truck convoy currently heading towards Gate 24, a gate that led directly into a dense forest.

Southampton city was completely obliterated during the Zeon War thanks to the carpet bombings by the Federation, which left the southern coast of England resembling Mars. The city itself was partially reconstructed before the outbreak of World War III and was utterly levelled again. A decision was made when the new Oz government was formed that only the Oz Headquarters for Strategic Naval Aviation Ports, or OHSNAP as its personnel affectionately calls it, would remain and the remaining area that was Southampton city would be bulldozed over and made into the Southern England Memorial Forest.

James had always loved being posted in Southampton back in his days as a Lieutenant, to be able to wonder out into the woods without a care in the world and return to work utterly refreshed. Mason Graves, however, held a different opinion about the forest area. He saw it as a perfect point of entry for militants to enter into the base. Plus the genetically engineered trees were tall enough to cover an entire mobile suit.

Putting the red Leo's arm on James' Tallgeese, Mason initiated skin talk.

"Do you think we should check out those MS transports?" He said.

Bringing up a video-feed from a security camera near Gate 24, James studied the drivers of the mobile suit transports, noticing that they were all rather young for pilots.

"Were the guys of the Peeler Team always that young? Hey, Marigbo," He opened a comm. channel to Marigbo, "You were part of that team before you transferred to St. Helena, what do you think?"

"That team is basically a training team for newly graduated cadets," Marigbo answered swiftly, "I wouldn't be surprised if our best and brightest are about their age, sir."

"How old are you, Marigbo?" Mason asked, despite it having no importance on the conversation.

"Twenty-five in August, sir…I mean Mason." He was still used to addressing Mason as sir', despite their ranks now being the same after his promotion.

"Damn, seven years younger than me. You kids are taking over." Mason chuckled to himself, oblivious to the fact that no one was laughing with him.

"Enough chatter. Those transports are the responsibility of the gate guards. Let's move onto the next waypoint. We got to cover the perimeter by noon."

The three square panel-eyed mobile suits continued onwards, their heavy steps shook the ground without leaving a mark.

-----

"Your ID please, sir." An Oz corporal with a sub-machine gun slung over his shoulder ordered. Parith produced the document from the breast pocket of his Oz uniform and handed over to the man without uttering a word. He was hoping that this infiltration would go without much kafuffle, wishing silently that Josh and Strass would keep their mouths shut.

The three mobile suit transport convoy was now parked outside of Gate 24 with the Oz guards inspecting them closely. The Heavyarms, Deathscythe and G-Cannon was covered with green Leo armour to fool the casual observer but if any of the soldiers that were inspecting their transports were mobile suit enthusiasts, then they would have a problem.

"What happened to your hair, sir?" A private peered at Strass' newly acquired black and purple hair.

"A prank." Strass grunted.

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir." The private said and cleared him to enter the base, "Proceed to hangar 32A to prepare your MS there, sir."

Strass saluted and followed the two transports in front of him inside the huge base.

"That was easy." Joshed voice came through the hidden earpiece rather loudly, which made Strass jump and almost lose control of the transport.

"Don't speak so loud!" He replied loudly into the microphone hidden in the collar of his brown uniform, hoping to rupture Josh's eardrum.

"Sounds fine to me." Josh and Parith both replied. Strass then remembered it was Syuu who issued them the earpieces.

_I'm so gonna kick his ass when we get back._

As soon as the three transports reached the hangar, the three of them began frantically removing the fake Leo armour from their mobile suits, readying them for the upcoming battle.

-----

Inside the arrivals lounge, Riken Holm, Silvia Tyme and an entourage of other high-ranking Oz officers and diplomats all eagerly watched as a large white passenger transport touchdown and taxi towards them.

"Don't forget to smile, your Excellency." Silvia said, noting the rather noticeable frown upon Riken's face.

Turning around to his secretary, Riken forced a crooked smile that made Silvia let out a small laugh. Covering her mouth with her hand, she coughed and regained her composure. It was then Riken discretely put his arm around her waist. She gasped silently but made no attempts to push him away. He had never made any advances on her before, not even during their frequent dinners together. She wished he would though. Their relationship had always been rumoured within the ranks of Oz and Oz Prize, but no one dared speak about it openly. Silvia once caught someone gossiping about her, the woman found herself on a lone two-year mission to Antarctica.

For the occasion, Silvia had tied her usual waist length hair upwards into a bundle. Initially it made Riken uncomfortable but he seemed to have gone with the flow.

Riken leaned over to her and whispered, "Silvia, do you trust me?"

"Yes, I do." She answered without hesitation.

"Will you follow me, even if it means betraying Oz?" He asked, removing his hand from her hips. The plane stopped in front of the terminal, the faces of the delegates inside can be clearly seen through the planes' numerous windows.

"Yes I will," She said, "I am loyal to you, your Excellency, not to anyone else."

"Thank you, Miss Tyme." Riken said with a smile. He ran his gloved hand through his hair and stepped forwards to greet the men disembarking the plane.

One of the older gentlemen walked forwards and shook his hand, "I hope that the talks today will be productive, General Riken."

"As do I, Council Member Humbert. These talks between Oz, the EUF and Titans are a must for the future of the human race." Riken answered with the same crooked smile as before Humbert failed to notice. He led the group towards Miss Tyme whom then guided to the main conference hall.

-----

The Oz officer in control over all sensor and communication functions in the control tower at the base was bored. There were Minovsky particles scattered around the entire area made his readings unreliable thus making his usual job utterly useless. Apart from hearing the odd laser transmission, there was nothing he could really do.

With the onset of Minovsky particles and mobile suits, previous generations of weapons were relegated to the back lines of combat. Fighter jets that used radar guided missiles were useless and their low calibre machineguns useless against the new breed of armour developed in outer space. However, because of Minovsky Particles, a whole new set of weaponry was developed parallel to Mobile Suits.

Wire-guided missiles were one of the many new inventions introduced to modern military warfare. With the guidance system linked directly to the main vehicle itself, all it required was for one of the vehicle operators to steer the missile through the wire. This meant that missiles became smarter with less wastage with the only limitation being fuel and the amount of wire that was available. There was a sizable contingent of wire-guided missile launchers, helicopters and two-man fighters on the base in addition to the large mobile suit contingent.

"This is-…-three-nine requesting-…-damaged by rebels-…-need emergency landing-…"

"What the?" He was jerked out of his semi-sleeping state. Switch on the main headset, he listened carefully to the crackling message coming through to his station.

"This is C-two-three-nine-…-emergency landing-…-wing damaged by-…-losing fuel-…"

Pulling off the headphones, he called over the duty officer for confirmation.

"C-two-three-nine?" The captain pondered, "Wasn't that the transport that left yesterday for Munich? They aren't due back for another two days. See if you can clear up the sensor resolution, I want to see where they are."

The communications officer tapped several buttons on his keyboard and the interference on the electronic map cleared slightly.

"There it is. 100 miles out. It's coming in through the…Atlantic? I thought they were going to Munich?"

"They were, sir." The communications officer replied, just as confused.

"Can we communicate with them?" The captain looked around him, thinking of a way to deal with the situation.

"I tried already, sir. But they are not responding."

"How long before they reach the base?"

"One hour and three minutes, sir."

Sighing heavily, the captain picked up the telephone receiver next near to him. The conversation took about 2 minutes before he put the telephone down again.

"We're to let them land."

"What if this is a trap?" The communications officer questioned the captain.

"If it was, I won't be responsible. This order came directly from his Excellency himself," He replied, "Clear runway 4 for them but keep runway 1, 2 and 3 blocked. Keep them as far away from the conference as possible."

-----

The bridge of the Raw buzzed with excited chatter and frequent status reports as Project Angel began its final checks.

"One hour and twenty minutes until maximum TPF!"

"Pods 1 to 600 set and ready!"

"Quarter speed on Angel confirmed!"

Sophia was in her reserved seat on the Raw that overlooked the entire bridge with High Admiral Hue, the highest-ranking officer of the entire Neo Zeon military, occupying the captain's chair. He was with several lower Generals and Admirals of the Neo Zeon Military who were dressed in traditional Zeon uniforms. Tai Yang stood beside Sophia and remained silent while everyone else on the bridge seemed unable to do the same.

"Power regulators and TPF capacitors are A-OK!" Adun Weich shouted over the hubbub so that Joseph Fin could hear him.

"Roger!" he shouted back in reply. _At least we can hear each other, brother_.

_True_. Nicholas was sat near the main controls of the Angel, scanning over each electronic report that came through to his console for any errors. _If this goes according to plan, brother, we'll be one step closer_.

_Here's to the success of Neo Zeon_.

Sophia stood up and stepped down from her high raised chair. Tai Yang instinctively raised his hands up and helped her down despite there being no gravity to worry about.

"Admiral Hue, how long before we enter effective range?" She asked, her voice held a tone of authority, unlike her normal voice.

"One hour and twenty-two minutes, m'lay." He looked at his watch before answering.

"Very well, Major Long, please can you connect me to every ship in the Raw Fleet."

Tai Yang returned thirty seconds later with a wireless microphone and handed it to her.

"This is Sophia Cognant to all ships in the Raw Fleet." Her voice boomed powerfully out of the Raw's PA system, like the other 37 battleships and numerous support ships that followed the Angel, "Project Angel will become active in one hour and twenty- minutes. I pray for the success of the operation as well as for the safety of everyone in this fleet. We of Neo Zeon have worked hard during these past nine years for a chance to finally rebuild our proud nation and now, we shall see to it that our work will not go to waste. I have longed for the day to see our people return home, today, we will see that dream become a reality. Everyone, not only in the Raw Fleet, but those who are protecting our surrogate homeland, will be remembered, for this day shall be recorded as the day that Zeon returned HOME!"

Cheers can be heard from deep within the ship and soon, the bridge crew began cheering too. The cheer soon changed to a chant:

"Seig Zeon! Long Live Queen Cognant! Seig Zeon! Long Live Queen Cognant!"

Handing over the microphone to Tai Yang, Sophia returned to her seat.

"Admiral Hue, I hope you will enjoy this demonstration." She said, in her normal sweet voice and a smile that would melt the hearts of all men.

Admiral Hue saluted, as did the entire bridge staff. "YES, YOUR HIGHNESS!"

Tai Yang returned beside her chair, resuming his silent guard duty. Sophia leaned over and whispered in his ear, "So, how do you think I did?"

Without moving, he whispered back, "A bit melodramatic, but it did the trick."

She knew he was joking, but she pouted nonetheless to show her dissatisfaction at his reply; Tai Yang smiled at Sophia's reaction. Unknown to them, High Admiral Hue was watching them carefully in the corner of his eye.

-----

The circular conference hall felt like a circus to Riken. Countless treaties and agreements have been signed in this hall since the rise of Oz yet every single one of them felt like a joke. Sat next to him was Silvia and the Oz foreign minister, Jaques de Vent. Despite the difference of opinion between the military and civilian government, the two of them are good friends and their policies are agreed on a professional basis.

The conference hall was divided into sections, where each delegation had its own section. The Oz members sat at the very top while the Titans were to their right. The EUF delegation occupied the rest of the sections below because of the sheer number of people from different countries that were not part of Oz or Titans.

"Riken," Jaques elbowed his former Eton and Cambridge classmate in the arm, "You made any moves on you-know-who?" He kept his voice was low so that only Riken would hear him.

"No." Riken grunted while jutting his head towards Silvia sitting next to him. Jaques leaned back and saw the usual long hair being bunched up made him realise that the person he thought was an interning secretary was actually Silvia. His eyes widened and sprang forward again, hoping that she didn't hear him.

On the podium down below the audience, a lone fifty-ish and greying man walked in from behind the stage. He eyed the audience before him; some were in a multitude of different coloured suits while most wore military uniforms. He quickly glanced at the black uniforms of the Titan delegation, the Oz representatives and the entire EUF council, who sat closest to the stage. Clearing his throat, he began to speak.

"As most of you know, my name is Otis Humbert, the newly Secretary General of the Earth United Federation. If you did not know be before, now you do." He paused for laughter a laughter that never came, "We, ladies and gentlemen, are at a crossroads. ZAFT's military power and allies in Space and on Earth rivals that of Oz, Titans and EUF. At this point in the war, we have lost significant strategic positions in Africa and several countries in the Middle East. But as we speak, a Titans push in Australia has resulted in three footholds in the western coast area."

The piece of information caused a bit of a stir amongst the Oz and EUF members of the audience. There were murmurings about how the attack would look on the wider international community while others were worried about implications with Orb and future relations with ZAFT. The Titan section remained silent.

"Listen to them," Jaques leaned over to spoke in Riken's ear, "This is the reason why we are losing. They are all worrying about their own backsides rather than for the good of the people."

Riken nodded in agreement and then looked at his watch, it read half-past ten in the morning.

_Wouldn't be long now_. He thought to himself.

He tapped Silvia's shoulder and whispered something in her ear that was out of earshot of everyone else. She quickly stood up and took her leave.

"Where's she going?" Jaques said to Riken over the noise, his eyes fixed on her firm buttocks.

"I told her to go to the main control tower to take care of some things. And I wouldn't do that, they say that she has eyes in the back of her head." Riken replied, turning his head to watch Otis waiting for the auditorium to quiet down.

"I don't care," He said, staring until she left through the door, "I want to get my fill before she ships me off to the Arctic."

Otis stood patiently at the podium until the audience fall silent.

"Despite the different policies that our respective governments have had, we have always strived for peace within the Earth-Moon System." He began again, "I believe that ZAFT and the other nations who are not represented by the EUF would agree too. The human race have been at war for far too long and it is in my opinion that it is up to us, the delegates sitting in this room, to end it."

"How many people have died so far in wars during the past decade? Over five billion people wiped out during the Zeon War, twenty-two million died in World War Three and how many will die on the battlefield in this war? People's sons and daughters are dying out there, brothers fighting brothers, sisters fighting sisters. It is up to us in this room to end the endless cycle of the war. You have read the agenda for this meeting and I don't think you would be here if you did not believe what I propose will work. We need unilateral disarmaments of our militaries."

The EUF and Oz sections gave out a resounding round of applause while the Titan section remained quiet. Riken cast a side glanced at Jaques, who was now leaning forwards, ready to listen to what Otis had to say. Riken remembered Jaques going on anti-war and armament protests in Vienna, then the capital of the Earth Federation, and how his thesis outlined a plan towards future peace, which was why the Oz lower parliament appointed him foreign minister.

"We need to outline what we all must do in order to bring about peace. I am sure you have already gave thought to this on your way here, so I will let the Titan delegation to address this problem first."

A smartly dressed middle-aged man stood up from within the mass of black uniforms and dark coloured suits.

"Sir, if I may be so blunt as to say that this is insane." His words echoed around the conference hall, causing a wave of nodding within the Titan section, "Peace may be our final goal but let us not forget that it is ZAFT who began their invasion of our territory."

"Oh, please," Jaques blurted out loudly, "We all know that it was the Jenius Seven incident that began this war. And we all know who is responsible for that."

"We reacted to a very real threat against the Earth. Co-ordinators gaining access to nuclear, chemical and biochemical weaponry was a step too far. The EUF failed to act on our information. We did." He retorted.

"And what did you do to find those weapons? Launch a nuke into the centre of an agricultural colony! We found no nuclear weapons on any Co-ordinator colony yet you acted on your misinformation! What is the point on being on the EUF council if you are just going to do things without consulting us?" One of the female EUF delegates of oriental decent shouted.

The Titan man's narrowed his eyes at the distant head below him, "If the EUF council had allowed us to conduct our own searches, rather than the joke that was the report compiled by your investigators, the Jenius Seven incident would not have occurred."

The woman opened her mouth but Otis spoke before she had a chance to say anything, "Gentlemen, ladies, please! Let's not forget the reason why this conference was called. We are here to discuss how we should outline a roadmap for peace. If the Titan delegate does not have any contributions that is RELEVANT to the subject at hand, then please allow the Oz delegates to speak."

The Titan officer sat down and Jaques sprang up, ready to shine.

"The problem of bringing about peace has always been one of Oz's main concerns. Our citizens do not wish to live in a climate of fear. After much discussion with the Oz lower commons and upper parliament, the only way that we can see how we can avoid future conflicts is to hand over more military power to the EUF."

Riken sighed silently at those words. He was surprised that Oz's upper and lower parliament approved Jaques to express his thoughts on behalf of the Oz nation, until he read that Jaques was added to Operation Darling. The operation hinged on the media broadcasting that the meeting was for Oz officials, disguised as a security measure.

"I think that we are all aware how much influence the EUF has over every nation in the Earth-Moon System, which of course includes ZAFT," He continued, "We are distributing our resources towards the EUF in a symbolic gesture to show our willingness to trust others, but how can we allow others to trust us when we are pointing our guns at them at the same time? Shunting more troops into the EUF have not helped in this war and was proven to not have worked during the Zeon War. What we need is unilateral demilitarisation."

A round of applause could be heard from the EUF section, with the Titan section giving off a few slow claps. The Titan representative stood up again,

"If we are to demilitarise, what guarantee that others will follow the same path? We use our military for self-defence and to guarantee our nation's safety, but if that power disappears from all hands, then how are we to defend ourselves against other threats?"

"Yes, that is true," Jaques responded, "We have no guarantee that ZAFT would follow us, but we must show them that we have changed and are not the same powers that took control to end World War Three. If we show no hostile intentions, they will not have to reciprocate. If no one has the power to use their military power to inflict damage on others, there will be no more wars.."

Another round of applause resonated around the conference hall. Otis held up his hand and the conference hall fell silent again.

"I believe that the majority of representatives in this room would agree with Mr de Vent's words. Does anyone have anything else to add?" He said. Looking around, the hall was still, "The reallocation of resources unilateral demilitarisation will be difficult but with the right convictions and our collective resolution, I believe that we can achieve this goal much sooner than we anticipate. Therefore, I propose that Resolution 332 will be to agree upon the steady decline of each nations' military might under the supervision of the EUF where-"

A huge rumble shook the dust on the ceiling down onto the delegates below. A soldier ran into the conference hall and made a beeline to Riken. He whispered something that Jaques couldn't make out into Riken's ear before dashing out again.

Riken stood up and addressed the conference hall, "Ladies and gentlemen, the base has come under attack. I would like everyone to remain calm as we evacuate each section to our specially prepped jets for this situation."

-----

Flying in low, Syuu's Wing Gundam in Bird Mode dropped Aislin's Blue Hyau Shiki in the middle of the base before ascending again. She was quickly joined by a team of Maganacs and began firing at nearby buildings and anything that moved. On the other side of the base, the Heavyarms and G-Cannon began their barrage while the Deathscythe provided close-range cover.

All hell was breaking out inside the base itself. The C239 transport that was seen earlier by the control tower was actually a transport filled with Maganac troops while the Wing Gundam and Zeta A1 shadowed close to it to mask themselves from the Oz sensors. As soon as they were over near the Oz base, visual lookouts saw the two flying mobile suits and reported it to the control tower. Syuu took both out with a shot from his buster rifle.

Looking down at the ensuing chaos, Syuu tried to find his target. His eyes passed over the rows of fighters and transports that were lined up near the base's hangars while letting his sensors determine what they were. Streams of numbers flashed before his eyes, each of them registering in his mind and were remembered. He opened a comm. channel to Aislin, knowing that thanks to the surprise attack, no one would be concentrating on enemy transmissions.

"Miss Blair, I can't tell which of the planes is the target. I need more time."

"Roger that." She answered and began skin-talk with the Maganacs, "Listen up! We'll need to hold out for a few more minutes. The targets have yet to be sighted. Tell Tim we'll need continuous air-support while Syuu do more sweeps. I'll…bastard!"

A red Leo suddenly leapt up in the distance and fired machinegun shots into Aislin's group. The Maganacs scattered quickly, but one of them was hit in the cockpit by a stray bullet and fell to the ground. Ducking behind a building, Aislin hoped that it would shield her from any bullets, but instead found herself dashing along the runway as a blue Leo began pelting her with machinegun fire. Firing her backpack's thrusters, the Hyaku Shiki jumped into the sky and arced across the runway. As the Leo continued firing, Aislin spun around in midair and fire her beam rifle in the Leo's general direction. The enemy Leo sidestepped to avoid the shot but she pushed her engines to the maximum, kicked off a nearby and rebounded towards the blue Leo, firing her beam rifle.

-----

Her senses already hyperactive, Harriet stamped down on the Leo R's pedal and barely had time to avoid the beams and watched as the Hyaku Shiki plunged straight into a building. A plume of smoke erupted upwards as the building collapsed and disappeared into the dust. Without hesitating, Harriet kept pumping more and more bullets into the dust cloud until she emptied her clip.

Checking that the other Maganacs were busy with other Leos and Aires that managed to get out of the hangars, she drew the Leo's beam lance and waited for the Hyaku Shiki to jump out at her. When the dust blew away, there was nothing but rubble. Confused, she stepped forwards and peered at the gigantic pile of rubble before leaping upwards to avoid pillars of beam energy coming from beneath the rubble and from the distance.

As the Leo R rocketed upwards, the Hyaku Shiki erupted out of the rubble and charged towards it with its beam sabre pointed directly at Harriet's cockpit door. Harriet brought Leo's arm around, only to realise that in the confusion, she had dropped her beam lance. Panicking, she decided to cut her boosters and dive straight at Aislin. Extending the Leo's arm in front of the cockpit, the Hyaku Shiki's beam sabre penetrated straight through the hand and into the shoulder. Before Aislin could do anything, the Leo grabbed the hilt of the Hyaku Shiki's beam sabre and yanked free from its hand. Mashing her hand on a nearby panel, Harriet ejected the Leo's right arm, which promptly exploded, sending pieces of metal everywhere.

Touching the ground with a thump, Harriet barely had time to breathe before having to dive out of the way from a splattering of Vulcan fire from above. Believing that the person she was fighting was a stamina monster, she desperately searched for her beam lance as she dodged fire from the Hyaku Shiki that landed 200 meters away. When she moved around another building that already had a hole made through it by a beam rifle shot, she saw a beam tomahawk lying beside a Maganac mobile suit missing its upper torso.

The Leo R pounced upon the tomahawk and threw it at the Hyaku Shiki. Aislin blew it apart easily with her Vulcans but as the weapon exploded it was followed by a gigantic flash. Harriet had attacked a mobile suit issue flash grenade to the tomahawk without her noticing.

Blinded, Aislin continued to fire both her Vulcans and beam rifle until she ran out of ammo. Backing up, she hoped to quickly move out of the immediate area, but a gigantic thump forced the Hyaku Shiki to the ground. Slightly dazed, she watched in horror as her front monitor began to cave in steadily as the Leo R began to pummel the Hyaku Shiki's chest with its remaining arm.

Thrusting the controls back and forth, Harriet watched as her Leo pound and dent the blue mobile suit's armour vigorously. This continued for about twenty seconds before a rapid beeping in the cockpit made her boost backwards. Two beam pillars sped right where her Leo's torso was.

In the distance, Josh cursed to himself and readjusted the sights on his G-Cannon Magna. Opening a comm. channel to Aislin, he spoke while continuing his barrage.

"What are you still lying there for?!" He yelled, "Get UP! Get out of there! Leave this one to me!"

Pulling the trigger again, the twin shoulder cannons rumbled to life and sprouted two more beams that sped towards the blue Leo. Harriet, by this time, had spotted where the G-Cannon was hiding and had transmitted a set of coordinates to Marigbo. When Josh pulled off two more shots, twin beams grazed the tip of the mobile suit's head and slammed into the ground behind him. Making a break for it, Josh ran straight towards the place that the Heavyarms was strafing the airborne Aires squadron that had managed to take off.

-----

"Where the hell are the rest of the mobile suits?!" James shouted from the cockpit of his Tallgeese. Being chased by the winged Gundam that he fought in the atmosphere was not fun, especially since it was pelting round after round of machinegun fire from behind him. He wondered why it hasn't fired it's main gun and can only assume that he was not a priority target.

"They were destroyed when the battle started. We have more coming Aires being launched from the Portsmouth naval port but they will take around fifteen minutes to get to here." An operator said back from a temporary command centre, "There's also an request from his Excellency to clear runway two for the transports."

Dodging a few more rounds, James turned the Tallgeese 180 degrees to fire a round from the mounted Dobergun at the Gundam. It evaded the shell easily and continued to pursue it's prey. Growling angrily, James spun the Tallgeese forwards again and pushed his engines to full throttle. He looked down from 1000 meters at the OHSNAP and realised the full extent of the damage done by the terrorists. Explosions erupted from all around the base and tracer fire from the standard issue Oz MS machine guns crisscrossed between the enemy's bullets and beams.

"Alright. Tell him that it will be ready in five minutes for the first launch. Harris out." He said begrudgingly knowing that it would mean the deaths of some pilots.

-----

There was an air of calm in the groups of EUF, Titan and Oz delegates evacuating to their transports. Each and everyone of them was freaking out inside, but in the interest of international politics, no one openly showed their fear for it shows weakness, something that is not tolerated in their world.

The line of people trundled through the tight corridors, unable to see the outside world thanks to the conference building's external shutters blocking out the windows. They were murmuring amongst themselves as they followed directions of the smartly dressed female stewardesses. The line eventually reaching the terminal in which they arrived earlier and was greeted by the ongoing combat outside. Black fumes rose from the downed mobile suits and exploded planes. Several of the female delegates gasped in shock but the rest of them just kept their heads down and ignored it. The sight disgusted Riken.

He had always shown nothing but distain for the EUF, always finding a way to ignore the world while being just a pawn for Oz and Titans. Of course, he himself has manipulated them for Oz's gain, but most changes have benefited Oz Prize and the upper-parliament.

"Jaques," He said, tapping the man on the shoulder from behind, "You take the transport with the EUF delegates. I need you to keep our reputation intact in the EUF, especially after this debacle."

Jaques gave him a smile, "You're not trying to get rid of me, are you?"

Riken suddenly paused. He knew that sending Jaques onto the EUF plane was his duty but the man was still his lifelong friend. He stared at Jaques' face, recording every detail into his memory.

_It is necessary for the plan._

"Don't worry. We'll meet up soon enough; now go before they close the terminal. You can take Admiral Pasture's seat, I have some things to discuss with him. And don't you give a thought about the members of your department here. They're being transferred to a shelter while we arrange another transport for them."

Riken watched his friend disappear into the plane from the guest lounge. The room was now empty and the Titan, followed by the EUF, transport began to taxi onto the runway. He sighed again and turned towards the sound of footsteps coming from behind him.

-----

Admiral Pasture hated these meetings since most had nothing to do with military matters, however today's topic was one that he could not dismiss or delegate to one of his underlings. The reduction of the Earth's total military power? He felt like a salary man being told that he had just lost his job because the company no longer needed his position. If the EUF council rectifies this, his life's accomplishments will have amounted to nothing. Becoming an Admiral only to have the EUF council say that they no longer needed him was like a kick in the nuts.

As he evacuated with the EUF delegates through the corridor, he was suddenly pulled aside by a strong hand. Thinking it was one of the security guards, he instinctively held up his pass before realising that it was Riken's secretary, Silvia Tyme.

"Oh, it's you," He said without a single shred of respect for her, which Silvia shrugged off with a twitch of her mouth, "I've already told you that I will not accept your offer."

"That's not what his Excellency wants to speak to you about, however after that session, I think you might want to reconsider." She said, eyeing the straw thin man, "Nevertheless, the EUF plane is full and his Excellency would like you to evacuate on his personal jet."

Pasture narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean the plane's full? I came on that plane so unless there's one extra person than there should be, my seat will be empty."

"Exactly, Admiral. Our foreign secretary will accompany the EUF back to Iceland. His Excellency feels that his services in smoothing over this _incident_ will be greatly needed."

Even though what she said made sense, he still felt that there was something wrong. However, at that moment, he realised that the corridor behind him was empty. Spinning around, he ran out of the nook that Silvia had dragged him into only to see the EUF plane's doors close further down the corridor and move away from the terminal. The only person left was Riken with his back to him. Giving Silvia a look of utter distain, he realised that he had no choice but to follow her.

"Alright, where's this jet?" He said impatiently.

"This way, Admiral."

-----

Mason Graves and Mark Schneider stood side-by-side, firing round after round of machinegun fire up into the skies and at ground level in order to keep runway 2 clear for the two, now moving, transports. Their Leo's custom paint schemes were shining about ten minutes ago, but since the start of the battle, they are now covered in dirt and scorch marks.

"Marigbo!" Mark shouted over his comm., "Coordinates three-five-delta-two. Two bursts."

From the distance, over a kilometre away, a twin burst of beam energy flew into the battlefield towards a pair of hangars north of Mark and Mason's position. The hangars exploded with a flash. Contrasted against the bright flames, were two mobile suits that had jumped out of the way of the attack, the G-Cannon and Heavyarms. Sending another set of coordinates to Marigbo, the Leo Cannon that had hidden itself near the base's water tower fired two more beams towards the Karaba mobile suits.

This time before he could see whether his shots had hit, Marigbo heard a deafening crash from above and found himself suddenly forced downwards onto the ground. He heard a sizzling from his backpack engine and felt drips of water began to seep in from behind his seat and onto his back. Realising that most of his controls were not responding and the Leo's internal life-support had activated himself, he deduced that he was trapped inside the water tower.

Seeing that their artillery support had stopped, Mason and Mark knew something was wrong. Mark started to move in Marigbo's direction before Mason Leo stopped him.

"Our job is to defend this runway. Marigbo's fine. His radio signal's still active."

Regretting ever agreeing to let his former subordinate fighting without backup, Mark turned his Leo around again and fired several shots at a pair of Maganacs who had began to flank them.

Above them, James was still circling around the sky with the Wing Gundam behind it. He had seen the two transports leave the terminal and was now trying to find a way to shake off the pesky fighter. He had tried loops, sudden stops, 90-degree turns, the works, however the pilot of the enemy machine seemed inhuman and matched his every move. About thirty seconds ago, James found that the enemy had stopped firing his Vulcans at him, which could mean one of two things: the pilot got tired of firing Vulcans and was switching to his main gun or he had ran out of Vulcan ammunition and was switching to his main gun. Either way, from the destructive power he saw the gun do in the atmosphere and in the initial attack, there was no way he would let the pilot fire that thing again.

Putting his Tallgeese in a 360 spin, he turned and sped at the Wing Gundam, firing a wide spread of Dobergun shells as he went. The enemy pilot dodged the shots in the way that James had predicted allowing him to dive with the fighter. Drawing the Tallgeese's beam sabre, James managed to get a glancing slash at the fighter's left wing. The particles that were constantly escaping any beam weapon made millions of tiny holes inside the wing, causing black plumes to bellow out of the exhaust housed inside.

-----

Unable to maintain altitude in bird mode, Syuu pushed a lever above him and the entire fighter shuddered and transformed into the mobile suit mode. Miffed, he swung the buster rifle around and aimed in the general direction of the white centurion-like mobile suit. Before he had time to pull the trigger, a couple of explosions from behind him forced him to spin around and fire a shot in the direction of his other attacker. The golden beam that spewed forth from the barrel engulfed the unsuspecting Leo from Devon Squad and was instantly vaporised. The beam travelled far into the distance, disintegrating everything in its path and burning the forest that surrounded the base.

Syuu grunted angrily at his carelessness at wasting a shot from his rifle, but had no time to reflect on it; the Tallgeese had landed before him, brandishing its beam sabre. Smirking widely, Syuu latched the buster rifle onto the attachment on the Wing Gundam's back and drew the Wing's sabre from its shoulder hard-point.

-----

The bright beams of the two mobile suits could be clearly seen through the cabin window on the EUF transport. Many of the EUF delegation had rushed over to one side of the plane to look at the duel between the two non-mass production mobile suits but Jaques had stayed in his seat.

To him, the battle outside was a military matter. He was a civilian and a peace advocate. If he had a grand power over the world, wars and battles like these would not occur. Every life form on the planet is precious, no matter what race, creed, gender or species; wars like these are a waste of that life and that is inexcusable.

However, it was not his place to question the decisions made by the upper parliament and Oz Prize. It was his job to liase with foreign ambassadors and diplomats; his convictions will have to take a backseat to his job. Before, his pleas to the lower parliament and upper parliament to end the war with ZAFT had been largely ignored, but a week ago, the entire upper parliament decided that his ideas about reconciliation and reconstruction were a viable solution to the war. This choice confounded him for days, unable to find a rational reason as to why they had changed their mind. He still can't find a reason now, but as long as the Oz parliament can see his vision of total demilitarisation and pacifism, it is good enough.

Above him the seatbelt sign suddenly lit itself and the transport captain's voice came over the PA system, "Can all passengers please take their seats. We will begin emergency takeoff shortly. We are unsure on how this loaned Oz jet will handle the emergency takeoff, so please fasten your seatbelts tightly."

There was a large scramble as people quickly found their seats and tightened the belts. Sitting with an indifferent look beside a high-ranking EUF officer, Jaques dug his fingers into the cushioned armrests. He was pushed back into the seat as the jet rocketed along the runway and lurched upwards.

-----

Jabbing left and right, the fencing training that Syuu received from Professor B kicked in. While maintaining a distinct fencing style, he improved upon those techniques by utilising the wing thrusters. However, his opponent was just as adept at melee combat as he is. Countering and counter-attacking constantly meant Syuu was unable to go on the offensive for more than two or three slashes. The Tallgeese slashed downwards as it parried yet another blow from Syuu, but he managed to sidestep and twist his Wing Gundam 90 degrees to allow the sabre to move harmlessly down. Jabbing feverously, Syuu wanted to put the James off balance, but the white suit just leapt backwards and charged with his shoulder first into Syuu. The impact knocked the Wing Gundam backwards into the ground. Syuu had to use the engines to boost himself along the ground to avoid the Tallgeese's beam sabre stabbing straight into the cockpit.

A wild beeping and two images of transports appeared in an inset window on his viewscreen. The captions read "TITAN" and "OZ".

"Found you." He said while grinning like a lunatic.

-----

As he closed in on the Wing Gundam, James saw it transform back into its bird mode and boosted upwards. Shunting all the power to his engines and bracing himself for the coming G's, the Tallgeese moved from a forward motion to straight up. He was almost sick and wondered what kind of a an enemy he was fighting who is able to transform a mobile suit and suddenly change direction like that so fast.

When the excess blood had receded from his brain, his HUD displayed two little boxes that read "OZ-PLANE". It was then he knew what the Gundam's true target was.

"Damn him!" He shouted to no one in particular while switching open a channel to the control centre, "Command! Who's jets are those?!"

"The one furthest away is the Titan jet and the other one is ours but are carrying the EUF delegates." A voice replied.

_What the hell are they doing in one of our jets?_ He pondered as he closed in on the Gundam.

-----

Syuu doubled checked his readings on the Oz transport ahead of him. He was now 100 sure that this was his target. The entire mission was to target the Oz dignitaries attending the conference and to disrupt operations inside the OHSNAP. He wondered why there was a Titan plane here, but he put that aside and focused on his target.

Transforming back to mobile suit mode, the Wing Gundam drew its beam sabre as soon as it had managed to get its hand free from the transformation process. Syuu jetted towards the transport at maximum speed and was about to raise the beam sabre when a sudden scraping of metal and electrical sparks inside his cockpit stopped him.

-----

Jaques looked on in horror out of his window as the fighter closed in from the ground and suddenly change itself into a mobile suit. When its eyes flashed as the internal cameras activated, it sent a chill of fear down his spine. The fear was not borne out of a fear of death but a fear for the escalation of the war. The EUF had worked so hard to get the Titans, Oz and other smaller countries to agree to a future that may end all wars but at that point, everything that he had hoped for was about to disappear.

But as quickly as the goateed mobile suit appeared, it disappeared. Unlatching his seatbelt, he strained his eyes to look back at where the mobile suit that almost ended his life had gone. Several other members of the EUF delegation had done the same. From what he could tell, a white mobile suit with a Mohawk had grabbed it in a bear hug.

-----

"Don't you dare..." James panted, trying to catch his breath. He held tightly on to the controls, as the strain on the Gundam trying to break free from the hug was forcing him to use every inch of his strength.

Realising that he was in actual physical contact with the enemy mobile suit, James shouted, "Why the hell are you attacking the EUF? Are you so without honour that you are attacking unarmed civilians rather than Oz?!"

-----

"Total Psychokinetic Factor at above 100!" Adun Weich reported from his station onboard the Raw with a hint of pride in his voice. After all, it was his project that was about to bring about a long awaited resurrection of Zeon, "Angel's generators are now operating at 96 efficiency with all pods active. All ships report TPF cancellers are active and we have a clear shot at Earth."

"Are we ready to go?" Nicholas Fin asked.

"Yes, sir!"

Nicholas floated past the high ranking officers over to Sophia and saluted, "Your highness, we await your orders."

Nodding with a smile, Sophia stood up, "Everyone, we have waited for this moment for too long. Activate Angel Halo when ready."

"Yes, your highness!" The bridge collectively shouted in reply.

The gigantic ring-like structure before the Raw sprang to life. The spiked circles inside the outer ring moved silently in the darkness of space to form what looked like a rose. Little by little, the spikes redirected themselves towards the blue jewel that hung in the sea of stars before Angel Halo.

"Charging complete! N Dash Unilinks A-OK! TPF capacitors are drained and ready! We can fire at any time." Adun and several other members of the bridge gave their reports to Nicholas, who turned to Sophia again.

"Ma'am, the Angel is ready for its first firing. Please give the word."

"Thank you, Nicholas. Angel Halo, FIRE!"

"Angel Halo, firing!" Adun repeated.

To Sophia and Tai Yang, it looked like nothing had happened, however Adun and his team were shrieking wildly, which reassured them that something beyond sight was occurring. Adun and his team's joyous celebrations was suddenly cut short and a blast was seen emanating from the interior of Angel Halo from the main viewscreen. The yells of happiness were suddenly replaced with people screaming reports of malfunctions.

"TPF levels dropping!"

"Generators two through eighteen are overloading and we already lost generator three!"

"TPF radiation is seeping into pods one hundred through four hundred!"

"Shut down all generators!" Adun ordered.

"But that's not going to stop the cascade! We're still going to lose 60 of the pods!" One of his men countered.

"It doesn't matter!" Adun shouted at the top of his voice, "We need to save the super-structure. The pods can be replaced. Just shut the generators down!"

Sophia watched in disappointment as the Angel Halo's rings retracted and returned to their original position as a single halo. The once joyous feel of the room had been replaced by fear and anxiety.

"Did the Angel work?!" Nicholas Fin yelled at Adun, who was concentrating on other things, "Did it work?!"

After a few seconds Adun looked back up at Nicholas, "It did," He said solemnly, "The system was active for fifteen seconds before generator three, five, nine and seventeen overloaded. We lost around 54 of the pods and without extensive repairs, the Angel cannot be activated again."

Nicholas wanted to reprimand the man, but from the look on his face, he decided against it. He walked over to Joseph Fin, who was monitoring communications on Earth, "I want you to tell me the second you feel that something has happened on Earth."

"Yes, brother." Joseph replied. Nicholas heaved a loud sigh as he had to report to Sophia and her lapdog, Tai Yang. He phrased and rephrased how he was going to tell her that the thing that the Zeon military had worked on for the past 5 years and spent 65 of their entire resources on only worked for 15 seconds.

"Your highness," He said, trying not to look at Tai Yang or her, "The Angel is currently inactive. Serious repairs are required to get it active again. However, we did manage fifteen seconds of active time. We still require some more time before we receive the required information on the effectiveness of the Angel. Please, forgive us." He bowed deeply before her.

"Your men have done well." Nicholas looked up, surprised at her words, "Be it fifteen seconds or twenty minutes, we know that Project Angel has worked. It's results are not important, what is important is that it has worked. Well done, everyone!"

The bridge suddenly become quiet as they listened to her words. Everyone was moved by their Queen's graciousness and kindness despite their failure.

-----

_The EUF? There are no EUF delegates here._ Syuu first reaction was that the enemy pilot was lying but then he realised that the other shuttle was a Titan shuttle. Why are there Titans at an Oz conference? If that is true, then the shuttle before him might have been carrying EUF members. But it could all be a trick to stall him. Then he remembered the words of Professor B:

_Oz is an organisation that is built upon honour and courage. They do not use tricks to protect themselves. They will never do anything that would be seen as dishonourable._

At that point, Syuu weakened his struggle against the hug that the Tallgeese had him in.

Suddenly, a wave of pressure hit him. There was nothing physically pressing against him, but it was there, inside his mind. Suddenly, millions of thoughts burst into his head, causing him to scream loudly.

_Does it matter if they are they EUF?_

_The EUF are the cause of the war._

_Oz is no different to them._

_They deserve to be killed for collaborating with the enemy._

_Who do they think they are, giving orders to people who do not wish for them to rule._

_They force countries to fall in line or be invaded._

_They are just like everyone else._

_The EUF create orphans with their campaign of hatred._

_Orphans like you._

_You cannot let the world have more orphans who are like you._

_Only you can stop them._

_Only you._

_Only you._

-----

James felt the wave of pressure hit him too. He felt it pass quickly and thought it was just fatigue. He heard a scream from the enemy pilot and saw the enemy Gundam swerve its beam sabre around in it's hand towards him. Immediately letting go, he boosted backwards to avoid the imminent slash but the Wing Gundam just chased after the transport.

Cursing his foolishness, he pushed his engines to full in order to catch up with the it, but he was already too late.

-----

Jaques felt a pressure in his mind, as did all the members onboard the jet. Like James, the pressure passed without incident. However, the people around him began to act in a way that he had never seen before. Some were clutching their knees, mumbling incomprehensibly while others were literally at each other's throat. Thankfully, the person he sat next to did not seem to be any different.

The jet abruptly lurched downwards and threw Jaques forwards in his seat. Looking around, he saw that only he and his neighbour was the only ones' unaffected. Straining to remain in his seat, a glint outside of his window caught his eye; the winged mobile suit had returned, flying beside the descending transport jet. As if time had slowed, he watched it raise its beam sabre above it's head.

"Young man, think about what you are doing…" He pleaded, knowing that there was no way the pilot would be able to hear him. Before he had time to say anything else, the beam sabre carved through the metal fuselage of the jet. The two halves of the plane crumpled inwards as beam severed the aluminium shell like a knife through butter. The super heated air ignited the jet-fuel, blowing the plane into millions of pieces.

-----

Sitting inside Riken's personal plane, Admiral Pasture watched in confusion as the Oz and Karaba mobile suits began firing indiscriminately in all directions, regardless of who was in their line of fire. He felt a wave of dizziness a few seconds ago, however it passed without any affect on him.

His eyes wondered out into the skies, trying to ignore the fighting on the ground and saw the plane that was carrying the entire EUF command structure and delegation soar higher and suddenly fall.

He had pondered on the offer that Oz had sent him a week ago. The letter had invited him to become a special advisor and commander to the Oz Space Fleet. The position was one with great pay and a promise of a senior post within the upper parliament. The offer was now becoming more lucrative by the minute since his position in the EUF was now being threatened.

As he followed the plane, he saw a mobile suit zoom into view and cut through it with its beam sabre.

"NOOOOOoooooo…!" He shouted.

Peering out of her side window, Silvia saw the flames and smoke of the EUF transport jet dissipating in the sky. She showed no reaction as she stood up and walk into Riken's personal compartment behind Pasture.

Pasture was now by himself, the sole member of the EUF council still alive. His emotions ran from a low of realising that most of his colleagues were dead to a high where he was now the highest-ranking leader in the EUF. However, he realised that this would not last as the EUF nations would be swearing in new council members who will continue where the recently deceased council had left off.

Placing his face into his hands, he knew he must do something, exactly what he needs to do, he did not know. As he sank into his thoughts, the plane began taxiing along the runway.

-----

_What have I done?_

_Those were not my orders._

_Why did I act on impulse?_

_I am trained to resist my impulses._

_Then why have killed them?_

_My orders are to kill Oz leaders._

_Was that really the EUF leaders?_

_There is no way of knowing._

_But how can I be sure?_

_What have I done?_

-----

"YOU BASTARD!" James shouted as he charged shoulder first into the Wing Gundam. To his surprise, the Gundam did not dodge his attack; rather it took the full brunt of the attack and fell towards the ground. Momentarily stunned by the success of his attack, James took a second to survey his surroundings. What he saw made him cringe.

The once largely intact base was now bellowing more smoke than ever before. Mobile suits were lying on top of each other with rifles and beam sabres jammed into each other's cockpits; some of them were even from the same side. As he was floating in the sky, in awe of the carnage, he never noticed the Hyaku Shiki boost in to grab the Wing Gundam and head towards two large aerial mobile suit transports.

-----

"What the hell's going on?" Strass shouted at the two remaining Maganac mobile suits. Neither pilots answered as they stepped inside the transports.

Strass had received the order to retreat as soon as the once much organised battlefield descend into chaos. Many of Oz mobile suits and trucks began firing wildly at the surrounding area, some even at each other. After he dealt with a pesky Leo Cannon by burying it beneath the water tower, he barely had time to stop Josh and Parith blowing each other to pieces.

"Strass, is everyone aboard the planes?" Aislin asked as her Hyaku Shiki landed with the Wing Gundam.

"All those still alive. What's wrong with him?" The Deathscythe Gundam pointed at Syuu's Gundam slumped over the Hyaku Shiki's shoulder.

"I don't know, but I think he's out cold. Get him on board. We need to get out of here."

"What about their sensor grid?" Strass said, taking the Wing Gundam.

"I took it out on our way in. Stop asking questions and get on the transport!" She barked.

-----

James broke free of his shock-induced trance and saw the two Karaba commandeered transports move out onto the tarmac. Ignoring the blaring alarms inside his cockpit, he dived at them at full speed. Soon, the alarms turned to a deep whining and the left thrusters exploded, forcing the Tallgeese into an unstoppable spin into the ground.

"I won't let you…" James reached out with the Tallgeese's arm at the planes as they took off. No one seemed to be shooting at them or even tried to stop them. His frustration could only bubble inside him as he tried everything to move his Tallgeese. It only let out a light moan and then shutdown. James banged his hands at the control levers again and again. He had lost to that winged mobile suit twice.

"I'll have my revenge."

His already dark surroundings suddenly dimmed, he couldn't keep his eyes open. The adrenalin that was pent up in his system during the fight was disappearing and fatigue finally caught up with him. Letting go of his senses, James fell into a deep sleep, plagued by images of the winged angel of death.

-----

"So what do you plan on doing with me?" Admiral Pasture nervously asked the ever-silent Silvia. She replied to his question through an almost gleeful smile.

Riken's private jet had taken off from runway 1 on the far side of the base and sped away before any of the base's personnel had realised it ways gone. The faces of the EUF council members on the destroyed plane had plagued pasture's thoughts. Strett, Killmenger, Numhin, Belgium, Equim and many more of his close friends had vanished in an instant. But why could he not shake the feeling of joy of the realisation that he was technically the leader of the EUF? His lust for power had never amounted to wishing that his competition would disappear. At that moment, Riken stepped out of his personal cabin and took a seat beside Silvia opposite him.

"Dear, oh dear," To Pasture, Riken seemed calm for a man who was partially responsible for the deaths of the most important leaders of the world, "Admiral Pasture, you used to be the captain of the Federal Ship Hunt during the Zeon War and you maintained peace in space with the Fifth Federal Fleet during World War Three. You then followed your commanding officer and joined the EUF Spacy after the peace accords at Reykjavik. Promoted to Rear Admiral for your brilliant strategies during the Great Reformation and then to Admiral when you saved most of your fleet from destruction while countering ZAFT at Acteria."

Pasture had no idea why Riken was reciting his most recent military career, or why he isn't focusing on the deaths of the EUF leaders. Either way, he could only nod without uttering a word.

Riken leaned forward, "Did you know that the EUF is nothing more than a dream for people without a single shred of knowledge of how the real world works?"

Pasture had continued nodding but Riken's words suddenly dragged him out of it.

"What?"

"The EUF was conceived to help the world move out of its constant warring state. They did that by uniting the countries of the Earth. But if that is the case, then why are there still wars today? Why is ZAFT invading us? Why are there groups still willing to destabilise our governments?"

Something inside Pasture's mind suddenly clicked, "You planned this from the beginning, didn't you?"

Riken returned his question with a slight nod.

"I don't believe this! All this was an elaborate plan? Those terrorists were your troops weren't they?" Pasture said, casting an accusing look at both Riken and Silvia.

"Oh, they were real Karaba terrorists," Riken replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "We just leaked some false information to the media and claimed it to be a security measure. They came to find Oz targets and we gave them one, just not the one that they were expecting."

Pasture couldn't believe what he was hearing. Oz had set out to destroy the EUF by using someone else. He always knew that Oz had shown some discontent towards EUF policies but never in his wildest dreams did he believe that Oz was capable of doing this. He then realised an inconsistency in their plan.

"Why am I still alive?"

"Because we want you to dissolve the EUF." Silvia answered.

"W-What?" Pasture's head was reeling from one moment to the next, "Why the hell would I want to do that?"

Riken leaned forwards and looked directly into Pasture's aged eyes, "You were in that meeting. They were proposing a universal demilitarisation, something that, I believe, you were most adamantly opposed to."

"And how would disbanding the EUF have anything to do with that?"

"Because," Riken lowered his voice so that only Pasture could hear him, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks, Admiral. The countries that make up the EUF have backup delegates who are sworn in case the current ones become unavailable. They will do exactly what the old council planned to do, and your current place within the world will dissolve into nothing. Of course, if you dissolve the EUF and it's military, your position as a military leader can be retained."

Pasture's eyes suddenly brightened, "How would I do that?"

Riken held up the offer letter that was sent to Pasture a week ago. Pasture instantly saw the words Commander' and Status'. He looked at Riken, then at Silvia and then at Riken again. Never in his career had he been faced with such a decision. He tried to recall anyone from who was facing the same decision to guide him, but no one came to mind. He closed his eyes and focused on the sound of his own breathing. He and Riken knew that he only has this chance to dissolve the EUF. Opening his eyes, he gazed deep Riken's azure irises.

"What would I say to them?"

Riken smiled, "Oh, you'll think of something. Of that, I'm sure."

-----

"You guys!" A regular ZAFT pilot ran into the red-coats off-duty room. Inside, Vivian, Akito and Riou were lounging around doing nothing in particular. The regular pilot picked up the television remote control and switched on the dust-covered television mounted on the wall. The face of the glasses wearing Admiral Pasture appeared on the screen with the EUF banner behind him. He had lost his previous nervous disposition and was showing no emotion.

"…I repeat, every member of the EUF council has been killed by a terrorist organisation as they tried to escape. Currently, I am the only surviving member of the EUF Council and the highest-ranking officer of the EUF Military…"

-----

From their mobile suits, Marcus, Tano and Orphen, with their two new team members, Paul Fabriga and Captain Klein, watched the broadcast in silence. Captain Klein, someone who hated politics, had turned off her monitor.

"…The EUF leaders had been attending a conference regarding the future of this planet before their plane was struck down. Why am I still alive? This is mostly due to luck. Regardless, the most important thing is that we remain unified in our condemnation of the actions by these terrorists…"

-----

The big screens that lined the city inside the Lohar colony showed Admiral Pasture's wrinkles rather clearly. The AEUG personnel and civilians had stopped their daily activities to stare up at the old man. On board their ships, the EUF crews listened intently to the man that had nearly sentenced them all to death. Each and every one of them simmered with silent rage as he spoke, especially Rika, Tyan, Seig and Wiz.

"…The EUF had served us well. It has strengthened us, given us hope during a time when there was none. The aftermath of World War Three needed the EUF to help reconstruction and security, but the situation today is different to those three years ago. The space colonies are invading Earth again, nations have grown more powerful and reconstruction has been replaced by…"

-----

On board the Crossbone Vanguard, Thraw Nema had to order Vandez Jenius and Nimbus Noa to the bridge for them to listen to Admiral Pasture's speech. The two of them have never been interested in the news but Thraw knew this would be a moment in history that will not be repeated.

"…The EUF Military had been sufficient in defending the smaller countries against invasion in the past, but with the ZAFT's incursions, the EUF had been woefully prepared for combat. Coupled with the loss of the Londo Bell Fleet, it is in my opinion that the EUF Military has become essentially redundant in today's strategic scene…"

-----

Inside her office, Dena sat with her arms folded. She had taken her protective mask off to watch Admiral Pasture. She was smiling broadly and her heart was pounding as if she had been in an intense battle. Her plans are now coming into fruition, coupled with her siblings inside critical areas around the Earth-Moon System, they will see their dream coming to life at last.

"…Our council, though effective, have become a moot point. Our decisions are being ignored, plans gathering dust and ideas being wasted. What is the point of the EUF existing if everything that it is supposed…

-----

While being pulled from his Tallgeese, James caught a glimpse of a soaking wet Marigbo with Mason, Mark and Harriet all huddled over a tiny television screen. He did not see who was speaking but he did hear a deep but subtly nervous voice speaking,

"…I did not expect to become the leader of the EUF. However, now that I have the power and authority, I will use this opportunity to make an important announcement that will shape the world in ways that I hope will make the lives of our children…"

-----

With the city's main display boards changed to broadcasting mode, the citizens of Orb had stopped to listen to Admiral Pasture's words, just like those on Lohar. Kuro and Terrance had been too busy carrying bags and bags of shopping for Kriss as she skipped down the main high street to notice the voice coming out of the speakers.

Saga Hayate sat with the board of Nord Industries inside the Nord Compound. Robert Nord, the CEO and owner of Nord Industries was looking unimpressed by Pasture's words but he had that glint in his eye that told Saga that he saw an opportunity.

"…So for me to create a better world for all of our children that I make the decision with a heavy heart…"

-----

The Raw's bridge was still roaring with confusion. People were floating around, carrying large binders, trying to figure out what caused the overload inside Angel Halo. Joseph Fin suddenly shouted over the din and the room fell silent as Admiral Pasture's face appeared on the view screen.

"…I make this decision also with the blessings from many of the late members of the EUF Council. Before they died, we have been discussing the possibility of this decision. We felt that it would only be reserved for dire circumstances and now would constitute as one. I declare that the EUF Council and it's military be dissolved, effective immediately."

-----

"…I know that there will be an initial chaos, but I implore that the EUF countries to understand that it is for the best that the EUF be disbanded as it will be far easier to achieve a long-run victory against our enemies…"

Aislin switched off the reception monitor inside the cramp transport cockpit area. She was sure that the other members of the Karaba felt the same. Being labelled as the ones responsible for the downfall of the EUF was not something that she felt particularly proud of.

-----

"…so, I order every member of the EUF Military to report to the nearest military base and submit yourself to the commands of the nearest national military and integrate yourself into them. This will be my last order as the EUF Command-in-Chief and I hope that you will carry it out. Thank you."

"And we're off." Silvia said as she peered around the large camera.

Pasture slumped back inside his chair, perspiration glistening on his forehead. As he leaned his head backwards and saw the EUF flag, he felt ashamed. The navy sphere that represented the Earth, the laurel leaf and the phoenix that meant eternal peace holding up the planet. He had betrayed that

"Thank you, Chief Consultant Pasture," Riken congratulated him, "Miss Tyme, please make sure that the Chief Consultant is comfortable. I will be in my private room. There are some things that must be completed. If you will excuse me."

Silvia saluted and went to a drinks cabinet at front of the compartment. Pasture wiped the sweat from his brow with his handkerchief and accepted the brandy that Silvia had presented him. Swallowing the entire glass in one go he felt the warmth spread inside his stomach and oddly down his arm as well. He held the glass within his hand tightly, still contemplating his future. The warmness seemed to have spread into his entire body, his mind was now becoming foggy and his eyes were becoming unfocused. He thought it was just because he was tired but when he saw Silvia draw a gun from inside her uniform, he knew that he had been tricked. He passed out before he felt the pain of bullets striking his chest.

Stepping out of his compartment, Riken saw Silvia dispose of Pasture through the open floor hatch that allowed vehicles to board the plane. They watched the limp body plunge into the dense trees below. Silvia's hair was blown loose thanks to the wind. To Riken she looked more beautiful than ever. When the hatched closed itself, Silvia turned to her superior, beaming.

"The TPF Canceller worked perfectly, sir. You succeeded."

Riken took her by the arms and kissed her deeply. Silvia was shocked at first, but closed her eyes to enjoy the moment.

-----

Admiral Hue and his men had left the bridge after the initial malfunction, claiming that he had to tend to the fleet. But in reality, their initial thoughts about the Angel Halo were confirmed. The Admiral had always opposed the Angel Project and therefore, as a means of sucking up, so did those beneath him. But since Sophia had approved the project, there was nothing he could do about it.

"What about reports from the other news channels?" Sophia asked Joseph.

Handing an electronic clipboard up to her, he pressed a button and numerous moving news reports appeared on the screen. Each of them was showed burning buildings, traffic accidents and other scenes of destruction. The reporters told of random acts of violence from members of the public and people who died from ruptured blood vessels in the brain in locations between New York and Paris. From her reaction, Joseph knew she was pleased with the report.

She handed the board back to him and looked at the large ring that is the Angel Halo. She knew that it was now not a viable means to achieve an independent nation using it; she now has to wait for word from the Jaw Fleet.

"There's a laser transmission from the Jaw," The communications officer shouted from his console, "They say that they said the bird has come home to roost."

"Commander Fin, do you have the link ready?" Joseph gave her a nod, "Please connect me through. I wish to address the Earth-Moon system."

The intercom in the shop clicked as the ship patched into the shared communications around the entire Earth-Moon System. Sophia exhaled and began.

"Citizens of the Earth, Moon and colonies. I am Sophia Cognant, Queen and the leader of Neo Zeon. Ever since our forefathers were driven from the Earth-Moon System nine years ago, we have sought to return to home. We have built up a significant military force as well as upgraded our original military hardware. As of a few minutes ago, our fleet had secured Side Three. The resident contingent of EUF and Titan troops have been neutralised and our soldiers have seized control."

"It is our wish that Zeon be allowed to reinstate itself as an independent nation inside the Earth-Moon System and be treated as such. If any government feels that our actions have been unjustified, please remember that Side Three is our home; you have been illegally occupying it and we have every right to take it back. Any military action taken against us will be reciprocated with overwhelming force. We have returned in peace but we will fight back if provoked. I thank you for your time."

There was another click in the intercom as the communications channel was shut off. After a few seconds, a roar of cheers erupted from the bridge and the bowels of the ship. Sophia was sure that there was a similar situation on board the other ships.

"Well done, ma'am." Tai Yang congratulated her.

"Thank you, Mr Long," She said, "But this is just the beginning."

-----

_When shall we contact our sisters?_

_They will most probably contact us._

_What about our missing sibling?_

_He, my dear brother, will become aware of what he is very soon._

_I understand. So, you going to that party?_

_Why not? They say it's going to have good food._

_Sweet._


	18. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Trust - Part 1**

Rika rested her head against the headrest of her command chair. The surface felt distant in her normal suit helmet. The York sat in standby mode with her crew on alert. The bridge was quiet, the crew minding their instruments and concentrating on the lines of video feeds from external cameras. Rika, on the other hand, sat quietly and waited for Sieg's signal. The operation was called Renaissance by the AEUG. It was their first joint operation but raids were not something that Rika, nor her crew, had been trained for.

The London Bell taskforce was deployed one thousand kilometres from Oz's Hawkins Research Facility, well hidden within an old Zeon War debris field. The AEUG's four Irish-Class cruisers would conduct a raid on the facility and draw away the 210th Mobile Carrier Group stationed at the Londo Bell would move in, seize the packages and escape back to Lohar at military thrust.

"Anything from the AEUG raid?"

"No ma'am." Hana Trinkov answered.

Rika could only guess at the efficiency of the AEUG crews, their ability to handle themselves in raids. She had hated the fact that Londo Bell had become a band of bandits for the AEUG rather than a full fledged military unit, but with Admiral Pasture ending the EUF's mission, her crew had nowhere else to go. The digital display showed a countdown for the approximated operation start-time: five minutes. Of course, this was the estimated time that the AEUG command gave to her, but inside evolving battlefields of Minovsky particles nothing ever goes to plan.

-----

Inside the cockpit of the Mobius Zero, its engines gave off a low and dull hum. The sound reverberated in Sieg's helmet, drawing out his own thoughts. The radio-blackout meant that he was cut off from the rest of the task-force and out in the open, waiting for the blue and white signal flare from the AEUG. Wait and return order forbade any contact with the enemy, something that Sieg relished the chance for.

Flexing his hands on the control sticks, he scanned the distance and checked his sensors. The Minovsky particle distortions blanked out all sensor signals from the Hawkins Facilities, while the Londo Bell task-force behind him were mixed in with pieces of debris. Everyone, apart from him, was hidden. This wasn't something that unnerved him, but rather his Newtype sixth sense was making him uneasy. He always trusted his feelings, but at this moment, he needed to trust his other senses more.

The digital monitor suddenly reacted to a minute light speck about six hundred kilometres away, Sieg squinted his eyes and saw two distinct blue and white flares.

"Righto, work time." He spooled up the orange fighter's engines, did a one-eighty and powered back towards the shoal zone where the task-force was hiding. His Minovsky sensors began beeping when his engines reached maximum thrust.

"What the-?" He tapped at the different sensors and saw a mass of moving Minovsky cloud headed towards the facility.

"Oh, this can't be good." He logged the location of the cloud and inputted the vector into the computer. Moving Minovsky clouds meant one of two things, neither of them good.

-----

"Ma'am, camera sixteen has the Zero on screen. Message received. We had a go from Captain Garland."

_About time._ Rika sat up, "Take us out of the shoal zone, one-quarter speed. After exiting, bring the fleet to bearing three-oh-seven by three-five-oh and increase to flank speed. Send the orders to Southampton and Shanghai via laser-link. Launch all mobile suits when we're one hundred kilometres clear of the debris."

"I'm also receiving information on a mobile Minovsky cloud from the captain." Hana added.

Rika looked at the information sent via the laser-link. It was possible that it was just a previously undisappated cloud that's gravitated against magnetically charged floating debris, but her experience when combating ZAFT gave her pause. There's a possibility that the cloud could be dispersed from a small fleet of ships, but the inherent properties of Minovsky particles caused it to be a doubled edged sword. It is true that during combat, Minovsky particle dissemination allowed ships to have a reasonable amount of stealth, like submarines. But when dispersed, the radar and infra-red blackout meant that any long-range sensors could see this moving cloud, giving away your position. Looking out of the main viewer, the debris from the shoal zone thinned and the York made a left turn towards the research facility.

"Helm, new heading, two-six-oh by oh-one-two, ahead full. I want to keep at least four hundred kilometres away from that Minovsky cloud. Hana, Give a line to Captain Wang and send a recall order to Captain Garland."

The first green Jegan mobile suits stepped up onto the launch catapults from the York's hangar bays. With a small puff of steam and coolant, the York shot them out into the darkness and within a second, the only thing visible was the blue exhaust from the mobile suit's after burners.

"Yes?" Tyan's static filled voice rang in Rika's head-set.

"Captain, I want to you scout the Minovsky cloud currently astern. If you find hostiles, do not engage. Return and report. I don't want to have Oz ambushing us."

"Aye, ma'am. Is Garland joining me?"

"No," A gust of static made Rika to recoil slightly, "I'm calling him back, we need his remote weapons."

The Re-GZ mobile armour did a quick 180-thruster spin and launched itself in the opposite direction of the fleet.

Rika's eyes moved from the fifteen different displays from the remote cameras. The facility was still too far away for visual identification, but occasional flashes of yellow and pink beam weapons betrayed its location.

-----

The initial attack took down the automated fire fighting system of the Hawkins Research Facility, forcing the overwhelmed Oz crew to don fire-hazard suits and arm themselves with handheld extinguishers. The main control centre was the first area to be reclaimed from the fire, but the stray missile that hit the facility tore a large hole where the communication controls were previously situated. The pink sealant clogged up the hole, but the overwhelming smell of burnt plastic and skin filled the recycled air.

A first-lieutenant stepped over the dead body of the base commander and found his way to remains of the communications panel. He tapped on the keys to send out a distress signal with no success.

"What's the status of the two-hundred and tenth? Did anyone get that distress call out to the Ninth Fleet?"

"No contact. We lost contact with them as soon as they sortied." One voice in the control centre shouted over the cacophony of screams and orders.

"Dammit. What's the situation on the dolls? Can we launch them?"

"I don't know, sir. The control circuits are still active, but we can only launch five. I'm not sure whether they've completed the IFF recognition systems either."

"That'll have to do. Under Protocol two two nine, I authorise their launch." The lieutenant scrambled over to the doll's control system and smashed the glass panel with his hand. He regretted the decision immediately as the glass shards dug into his flesh but he pressed the activation button despite the pain.

-----

Inside hangar 4, bent metal and broken rock were strewn across the ground. Underneath the boulders of asteroid, five lights glowed brightly. The noise of Minovsky generators would have been heard if not for the lack of atmosphere for the sound to travel. Five dark spectres rose from ground, their large build, rounded shoulders and square facial cameras were reminiscent of the Leos, but the red panels on their shoulders and dark paint created gave them an ominous demeanour that the Leos lacked.

Out from the shadows, the Virgo mobile dolls stood up in accordance to their programming. Their digital eyes scanned the surrounding area, recognising only the other four Virgos. XV-01, the designation given to the squad leader, pushed against the manual release to the hangar door for it to open. Nothing happened. A black panel unlocked from XV-01's right shoulder, spinning as it rose. Raising the mega-particle cannon attached to it's right hand, a bright yellow beam flashed forth from the muzzle.

-----

The Re-GZ pressed forward into the darkness, small debris whizzing past Tyan's monitor. The Re-GZ's fuselage shuddered as the minute particles leaked into the generator and created an imbalance of Minovsky particles. Tyan adjusted his controls and moved his blue bird five degrees starboard. His visual sensors indicated nothing but rocks while the holographic recognition system tried to put those shapes to known vehicles on the database.

_The hell?_

The recognition system flashed up six identical objects directly in the middle of the cloud and flashed up "UNKNOWN" for each of the readings. A flash and pining in Tyan's head made him to pull the Re-GZ into a vertical climb, just in time to avoid a hail of AA fire from the unknown objects.

_Shit!_

The blue fighter/mobile suit looped back around to the Londo Bell fleet with stray bullets bouncing off the already pockmarked hull.

-----

"Twelve hundred until waypoint." The Zero's computer system calculated and relayed the information into Sieg's ears. He did not like the mutilation of the Mobieus Zero's gunpods into grappling hooks for the operation. The long-range stealth weapon was his pride and joy and he didn't appreciate the mechanics dismantling his baby.

He dodged between rocks and stray bullets from the struggling Leo mobile suits, with a few from the Jegan suits on his side. Sieg's eyes darted between the displays in his helmet, plotting a new course to the research facility.

"What is that?" He squinted his eyes at five dots moving in a cylindrical formation. They closed rapidly and their dark shapes became clearer. Sieg heard a pinging in his ears and yanked the controls and banked right. A yellow beam grazed the bottom of the Zero, violently shaking the fuselage, nearly cracking his skull against the top of the cockpit. Swinging the Zero around 90-degrees, he pushed the Zero's engines to 90% power to evade four further beam rounds. The five red dots broke formation and their darkened shapes became clearer.

_Are those what they were designing here?_

Pulling the linear cannon into firing position, Sieg pulled off a shot into their direction. The green shot lit up the blackness of space, exploding several pieces of unexploded ordnance along the way. Instead of dodging the shot, five round panels dismounted from the Virgo's shoulders and floated in front of the unit. The Zero's shot bounced off the electromagnetic shield, the static ricocheted between the five panels and the mobile suit.

_Holy shit, what the hell was that?!_

Sieg pulled off three more shots, but the Virgos dodged them with almost unhuman agility. He watched in wonder as the units closed in on several Jegans, their shots bouncing off the shields on the Virgos before being ripped apart by the beams. Their heads bobbed about unnaturally before acquiring their next target, the Zero.

Sieg punched the Zero into maximum thrust and dashed towards the research facility. Without the gunpods, the Zero was lighter and accelerated like never before. Sieg switched on the rear camera. The red eyes of the Virgos were still gaining on him, but there were only four. Suddenly, a crimson glow filled the camera, a Virgo had flanked him while he watched the Jegans go up in flames. Sieg lost control of his bladder, the catheter in his backpack slowly filled with his fear.

Two huge hands took hold of the Zero with the thumbs right on top of the cockpit and squeezed. Electrical sparks flashed and the metal cockpit groaned under the immense pressure.

_Oh god, NO!_

Sieg panicked, no amount of experience and training could prepare him for the chill that coursed through his system. The idea of being crushed to death was not something that he had in mind. He tried undocking the grappling hooks, but the hooks bounced off the arms of the black giant, but one ricocheted onto the Virgo's main camera. The black mobile suit's grip softened as the on-board computer tried to compensate for the lost camera feed. Taking the opportunity, Sieg repositioned his linear cannon and put a shot through the Virgo's chest. Before he pushed the Zero away to escape the explosion, Sieg caught sight of the damage and the Virgo's external structure.

_There's no cockpit area..._ He wondered to himself.

A white flash and yellow flames that followed completely engulfed the Virgo and vaporised the metallic superstructure. Sieg glanced around and saw the other three Virgos going after separate targets. Wiz's Gunbarrel Striker managed to take down another while Sieg recovered his bearings.

_Back to work_

-----

"So they are enemy reinforcements?" Rika repeated Tyan's report, trying to confirm the data he collected.

"Yes ma'am, I don't recognise the configuration of the warships. They have much greater range than OZ's Salamis cruisers."

Rika examined the shapes while keeping an eye on the tactile displays from her seat, "They're OZ's Experimental First Fleet. I heard rumours that they were rolling out new class of ships to replace their Salamis, but the Clops were months away from their first deployment..." Rika tried to play with her hair, but her hands touched the outer shell of her helmet instead.

"Major, move and assist Garland with his objective. We're going to move up our schedule."

-----

Sieg manoeuvred the Zero towards the target hangar. Immediately, a blast of machine gun fire emerged from it. Activating the reverse thruster, he dodged the shots but the dislodged rock sprayed and dented the Zero's armour.

"Dammit! Rogers, I need you to clear the hangar for me!" Sieg turned on a laser communication line to the pilot of a Jegan he got to join him in obtaining his target. Rogers Jegan nodded in reply and hugged the outer wall of the facility. Sliding across, occasionally looking around to see whether Sieg was guarding his back, he peered into the hangar.

"Sir, I think you need to see this." Rogers said. Sieg was patched through to Roger's video feed. Instead of seeing a group of Leos guarding whatever he was supposed to pick up, he saw another group of Jegans, huddled in a corner while one of them was wiring a container to the front of his unit.

"We don't have another squad doing my mission." Sieg muttered.

He squinted his eyes to look at the shoulder markings on the Jegan, "25th EUF Space Mobile Squad." He read, "But they're with the Oklahoma, what are they doing here? Rogers, open a laser channel to them. Ask them to stand-down and let us get our containers."

"You, in the hangar, friendlies coming in. Authorisation alpha-five-two-lima."

"That's an old authorisation code." A gruff voice on the other end of the comm. line said.

"Aye," Rogers answered, "We're with the old Londo Bell fleet."

Sieg saw the three Jegans inside the hangar pause before lowering their weapons, it was either a good sign or a trap.

"Good to hear from you," The gruff voice said again, "Captain Calais expected you to be here. We're after the same thing that you're after."

Sieg smiled in relief, he didn't want a firefight with EUF personnel, "We're coming in. I've got cables on my mobile armour designed for carrying the containers."

"Roger that."

-----

The York approached the facility at 50% thrust, with the Southampton and Shanghai behind providing rear cover. Rika's bridge team were on the look out for two more black mobile suits. the gunners managed to destroy one with a precision beam cannon shot.

"Captain," Hana's voice came over the comm. in her helmet, "Major Garland's just reported that he's on his way back to the ship. Apparently, he has company. He's requesting a direct line to you."

"Put him through." Rika heard a click as the channel was switched over, "What is it Major?"

"Captain Matsumoto, what a surprise." Rika gasped. The voice was not the major, but someone familiar, "I suppose you remember me."

"Johannes?"

There was a pause before the reply came, "Never knew we were on a first name basis, but nevertheless it's good to hear from you, Captain."

"I apologise, Captain Calais. What the hell are you..."

"Now's not the time, Captain. The OZ First Fleet is on their way. I expect that you and your friends have an escape route planned out?"

"Yes, but..." Rika replied, she was hesitant to reveal anything about the AEUG.

"We saw them leave and set their hound dogs on you before we moved in. There's no point to pretend you know nothing about the AEUG." There was a loud boom on the other end of the line, "Sorry about that. We had a close call with one of the Virgos."

"Virgo?"

"I'll explain later. What's the escape route, Captain?"

_Screw it._ "Follow the Southampton and we are exfiltrating via grid 023."

"Ma'am," Hana turned around from her console, "Captain Garland is requesting permission for a hot landing. He reports that he has the package but his team is being chased by unknown mobile suits and battleships."

"Give him authorisation. Tell Lieutenant Reinable that we have the goods, whatever it is."

-----

"So what's in the container?" Sieg wanted to wipe is sweat from his eyes as he looked up at the container he brought back, but the airless environment in the hangar prevented him from taking his helmet off.

"Let's have a look, shall we?" A voice beside him said. Sieg looked around, it was Siegfried Reinable.

"When the hell did you get on-board?"

"I came on board after you left." Siefried kicked off from the floor and grabbed hold of the top of the container.

"The OZ fleet is catching up to us. They have twenty-five mobile suits and six ships. The two Virgo shielded units are included in that count. All units that can launch needs to move now!"

"Negative on that order bridge." Siegfried grabbed hold of a nearby communications terminal in response to the announcement. He pushed a button on a remote control and a plume of coolant escaped from the container, causing many of the mechanics to grab onto whatever they had near to them to stop themselves from being blown off the deck.

"What is that?" Sieg looked up at the blue and white mobile suit. It was stood up against the back of the contaner, it's golden V-fin and red "moustache" resembled the Gundam units that he fought against during the Zeon War, "Is that a-"

"S-Gundam." Siegfried answered, "It's something that OZ was working on that the AEUG needed to get it's hands on. Captain, open the hangar door in thirty-seconds. I'm going to sortie."

-----

"Sir," An OZ ensign sat behind him on an elevated platform reported, "The initial attack fleet is beyond our sensor range. We will be in firing range of the second enemy fleet in ninety seconds."

The captain of the new Clop-class warship had pride swell up inside his chest. He was going to be the first captain to officially confirm a kill of AEUG warship, not to mention rack up the first kill-count on the Tremendous' hull.

"Send the Virgos ahead of us. Make sure that their planet defensors provide cover for our forces."

"Yes, sir."

In the distance, bright flashes from the Virgos' beam cannons confirmed two more kills. The captain smiled gleefully. Two more flashes ahead told him that the Virgos were living up to their name.

_Guess computer control is the future. We won't need those cocky pilots telling us what to do any more!_

"Sir, we lost the connection with the Virgos!"

"That's not possible. The connection should be 100% effective, it's been tested under fifty different scenarios."

"That's not what I mean, sir." The ensign said, his voice trembled, "They were taken out simultaneously."

The Captain paused, a bead of sweat ran down his brow, "Don't tell me they got their hands on-"

He was cut short when a pair of bright green eyes appeared in front of the bridge viewer. The bridge crew gasped in surprise and tried to flee to the back of the bridge, but the S-Gundam's head vulcan cannons ripped through the bridge and shredding their bodies.

-----

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Siegfried felt a wave of excitement as he ripped through the tenth Leo in a row. "This is the most fun I've had in a while."

The S-Gundam felt like it was a extension of his body, with the incom wiping out the Virgos from existence with ease. The beam smartgun, although cumbersome, made it one of the most deadly weapons that he had ever wielded. Unlike the Zeta Plus-C1, the S-Gundam had much more manoeuvrability while maintaining the speed of the Zeta Gundam. There was one problem that he was expecting but it did not reveal itself.

_Just as well._ Siegfried thought to himself.

_Who are you?_

_Who said that?_

_Are you the one?_

_Who is...wait, are you the system?_

_Please tell me whether you are the one._

_I'm...yes, I am the one._

_No, you're lying._

_I...I don't know whether I am the one._

_The one I need is one who will accept me._

_I'll accept you._

_You are not the one._

_Wait, I am the one._

_No. You are not he one for me._

_Wait, I am the one! I am the one for you, ALICE!_

_I am not ALICE._

_Then...who are you?_

_I am negligible. I do not exist._

_Tell me who you are, please!_

_I do not know._

_Do you have a name?_

_I do not have a designation. I do not exist. I am unknown. You can call me ZERO._

_-----_

A loud static buzz woke Siegfried. Instead of the OZ ships and mobile suits, he was staring up at a bright light and a ceiling.

"Lieutenant," Rodriguez Samuels, an AEUG council member, sat beside his bed, "I hope you are OK. Sorry about the noise. Do you know where you are now?"

"Looks like the city hospital." Siegfried tried to sit up, but his aching head forced his head back down to his pillow.

"Lieutenant, please stay down." Rodriguez walked over to the fruit basket on the desk and took an apple, "Here, have this. You've been out for two weeks, but you've been very, how should I put this, unpatient-like during the time you were out. The doctors say that the residual mental image from the ALICE system made you very uncooperative. You seem fine now."

"What happened, sir?"

Rodriguez took out a cigarette and lit it, "You passed out during the fight and the S-Gundam brought you back to the York on auto-pilot." He inhaled deeply and breathed out a trail of smoke, "That mobile suit is really something if it did that to you. How was ALICE? I trust she was a fickle as they say she was."

Siegfried shut his eyes, "It seemed she goes by a different name. You heard of ZERO, sir?"

"No."

"Then we have a slightly different system on board the S-Gundam."

"I see. It doesn't matter. We need that mobile suit. Our sponsors will need the data either way."

"What about Captain Calais and his subordinates, sir?" Siegfried asked, but the tone of his voice betrayed his indifference.

"They are settling in, but I have them under surveillance." Rodriguez answered, "You'll keep an eye on them for me, just in case, I am I right?"

"Yes, sir."


End file.
